Author(s):
monnier, henry bonaventure (paris, 07–06–1799 - paris, 03–01–1877 — 3–6–1877), designer
delpech, françois seraphin (orléans, 1778 - 1825), printer-lithographer
other title: parisian sketches (title of the series)
date of production: 1827
type(s) of object(s): graphic arts, print
name(s): print
materials and techniques: watercolor, vellum paper, lithography
dimensions - artwork:
height: 25. 8cm
width: 35. 3cm
dimensions - picture:
height: 20. 6cm
width: 19. 6cm
dimensions - mounting:
height: 40cm
width: 30cm
description:
plate 1 from the series parisian sketches by henry monnier, 1827, in paris, from imp. Lithog. From delpech, quai voltaire n°3
marks, inscriptions, hallmarks:
inscription - above the line in the middle: "esquisses parisiennes" and on the right: "1" under the line on the left: "henry monnier" and on the right: "i. Lith. De delpech"
caption - under the image: indiscretion - i took the liberty, madam, to bring a few friends
iconographic description:
a crowd of men crowds into a small bourgeois interior. The hostess, her shoulders covered with a shawl, welcomes the visitors who uncover themselves in front of her. On the left, a middle-aged man with a sullen face and thick waist turns his back to them, his hand resting on a console topped with a globe. A maid, on the far right, observes the scene. A dog sits in the foreground. In the background, a large screen hides a bed. Actor, playwright and designer, henry monnier helped illustrate la comédie humaine. His engravings of administrative morals, and especially his play scenes from bureaucratic life, clearly inspired balzac for his novel la femme supérieure, renamed les employés. The same references to the customs of their time often inspired the two artists in parallel on numerous subjects as we can see in the following extract: "for the first time, theodosius had put on new trousers, gray silk stockings and pumps, a black silk vest and a black satin tie, on the knots of which a tastefully chosen pin shone. He wore a new coat, in the new fashion, and yellow gloves highlighted by the white of the cuffs, he was the the only man who had manners, an attitude in the middle of this living room which the guests imperceptibly filled. " [excerpt from les petits bourgeois, by honoré de balzac]
themes / subjects / places represented:
social subject, morals, living room, domestic interior, screen, dog
mode of acquisition: purchase
institution: maison de balzac
inventory number: bal 98-131. Date: 1827.
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