Artwork
Concert of Cats
Concert of Cats is a print by the Romanticist artist Rudolph Ackermann. It dates from 1817 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1940.1090
- Credit line
- Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection
About this work
Overview
Concert of Cats is a print produced in 1817 by the English publisher and engraver Rudolph Ackermann. The work is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is displayed as an example of early nineteenth‑century satirical printmaking.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a crowded group of domestic cats arranged as a musical ensemble. One feline holds a large sheet of music, another bows a violin, while several others cling to various instruments or each other, some appearing to conduct or sing. The whimsical anthropomorphism suggests a playful commentary on the social rituals of music-making.
Technique & Style
Ackermann executed the image as a stone‑etched print. The design was incised into a smooth stone matrix, inked, and then pressed onto paper, producing fine line work and tonal variation. The composition is dense and lively, with a limited palette that emphasizes the texture of fur and the details of the miniature instruments.
History & Provenance
Created in 1817, the print was likely circulated as part of Ackermann’s commercial output, which included a range of caricatures and popular prints. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection through acquisition in the twentieth century, though the exact path of ownership prior to museum purchase is not documented in the available records.
Context
The work belongs to a broader tradition of animal caricature that flourished in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, reflecting contemporary tastes for humorous, allegorical scenes. Ackermann’s print aligns with the period’s fascination with anthropomorphic subjects, which were used to satirize human behavior and entertain a growing middle‑class audience.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Rudolph Ackermann was an Anglo-German bookseller, inventor, lithographer, publisher and businessman.
