Artwork
Vous avez perdu votre procès c'est vrai...
Vous avez perdu votre procès c'est vrai... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1848 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s 1848 lithograph Vous avez perdu votre procès c’est vrai... is a satirical print created amid his prolific output of political caricatures for the French journals La Caricature and Le Charivari. The image captures a courtroom scene in which a robed figure appears to plead before an unseen authority, underscoring Daumier’s engagement with contemporary legal and political disputes.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure, dressed in a dark robe and hat, clasps his hands and looks toward an off‑stage judge or lawyer, suggesting a desperate appeal. A smaller attendant on the left holds a large document, reinforcing the legal context. Through exaggerated posture and expression, Daumier critiques the inequities of the judicial system and the power of those who dispense justice.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the print relies on stark chiaroscuro and dramatic lighting to heighten tension. Daumier’s bold line work and contrast between deep shadows and illuminated forms create a sense of gravity, while the muted earthy background keeps the focus on the figures and their interaction.
History & Provenance
Produced in 1848, the work belongs to the period when Daumier’s republican sympathies informed his visual satire of the monarchy, aristocracy, and clergy. It circulated in the same vein as his other courtroom and political scenes, reaching a readership attuned to the upheavals of the 1848 revolutions and the early Second French Empire.
Context
The lithograph reflects the broader climate of mid‑nineteenth‑century France, when legal proceedings often served as a stage for political commentary. Daumier’s prints functioned as visual journalism, offering a critical perspective on the institutions that shaped public life during the turbulent years between the 1830 Revolution and the rise of Napoleon III.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (French: ; 26 February 1808 – 10 or 11 February 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the…
