Author(s):
monnier, henry bonaventure (paris, 07–06–1799 - paris, 03–01–1877 — 3–6–1877), designer
delpech, françois seraphin (orléans, 1778 - 1825), designer-lithographer
other title: yesterday & today (series title)
dating in century: 19th century
type(s) of object(s): graphic arts, print
name(s): print
materials and techniques: lithography, laid paper, watercolor
dimensions - artwork:
height: 23cm
width: 28. 8cm
dimensions - picture:
height: 15. 6cm
width: 15cm
dimensions - mounting:
height: 40cm
width: 30cm
description:
colored print
marks, inscriptions, hallmarks:
title of the work - above the image: today
caption - under the image: a boudoir. Inscription concerning the author - under the image on the left: henry monnier
registration concerning the test - under the image on the right: i. Lith de delpech
iconographic description:
a couple chats in a room soberly decorated with three gilded frames. The elegant young woman dressed in a dress with balloon sleeves is sitting on a sofa, while the young man has moved his chair closer to lean towards her better. 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 morals of their time often inspired the two artists in parallel on numerous subjects as we can see in the following extract: "two months later, i was sitting next to the ethereal woman, in her boudoir, on her couch. I held one of her hands, she had very beautiful ones, and we climbed the alps of sentiment, picking the prettiest flowers, plucking daisies (there is always a moment when we leaf daisies, even when you are in a living room and you don't have any daisies). . . . " [excerpt from another study of a woman, by honoré de balzac]
themes / subjects / places represented:
subject of society, morals, domestic interior, sofa, boudoir
institution: maison de balzac
inventory number: bal91. 108. Unknown date
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