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The Relics

Jean-Jacques Grandville

1835

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

The Relics is a 1835 by Jean-Jacques Grandville, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Jean-Jacques Grandville
When & what style?: 1835 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a grinning skeleton in a tattered coat, holding a lantern and a walking stick, standing in a dark alley. This wasn’t just a drawing—it was an illustration for a song. The skeleton sings about death in a playful, creepy way, matching the dark humor of the lyrics. Grandville made art for books and magazines, turning everyday scenes into something strange and vivid. If you like this eerie, storybook style, look up *impasto*—a technique where paint is laid on thickly to create texture and depth.

The story of this work

Overview

Grandville was known for the many illustrations he contributed to books and periodicals, often in a creative, fantastic style. This drawing relates to an image that appeared in an 1835 edition of the popular songwriter Pierre Jean de Béranger’s complete works. It accompanied the lyrics to a macabre song entitled Les Reliques , written in the voice of the skeleton who appears in the image.