Author(s):
wattier, émile charles (paris, 17–11–1800 - paris, 22–11–1868), designer-lithographer
engelmann, godefroy (mulhouse, 17–08–1788 - paris, 25–04–1839), engraver
other title: the conjugal ladder (title of the series)
production date: in 1824
dating in century: 19th century
type(s) of object(s): graphic arts, print
name(s): print
materials and techniques: lithography, vellum paper
dimensions - artwork:
height: 33. 8cm
width: 25. 3cm
dimensions - picture:
height: 26. 3cm
width: 18. 3cm
dimensions - mounting:
height: 50cm
width: 40cm
description:
lithograph on wove paper. Marks, inscriptions, hallmarks:
title of the work - "the marital ladder / 6th ascending rung / the contract"
author inscription - "wattier delt / lith by g engelmann"
registration concerning the test - "sazerac and duval editor passage de l'opéra staircase a"
iconographic description:
emile wattier suggests following the evolution of a couple, by establishing two series of eight illustrations – i. Illusions, ii. The realities - where each corresponds to a level, either ascending or descending, of a stage in the lives of the two lovers. Here, the artist presents a significant scene for the future couple: “the contract”. The emotion and excitement of the moment are conveyed by the forward movement of the young dandy towards his fiancée seated in an armchair: he has in fact presented her with both the ring and the marriage contract in his gloved hands. A blue tailcoat reveals a frill; it is worn over white pants, under which we can see white stockings slipped into shoes. In profile, the young woman in a long green dress tightened at the waist parts her lips, shocked by emotion and the upcoming marriage. Her blonde hair is pulled up in a bun, she wears red earrings. His feet rest on a small footrest. A vase carved with floral motifs, in the background, evokes the living room where young people meet. This theme, dear to balzac, is found in one of his first writings: the physiology of marriage. "a young man, an old man perhaps, in love or not, has just acquired by a contract well and duly registered at the town hall, in the sky and on the controls of the estate, a young girl with long hair, with black and moist eyes, with small feet, with cute and slender fingers, with a ruddy mouth, with ivory teeth, well made, quivering, appetizing and dapper, white as a lily, filled with the most desirable treasures of beauty: her lowered eyelashes resemble the darts of the iron crown, her skin, a tissue as fresh as the corolla of a white camellia, is nuanced with the purple of red camellias; on her virginal complexion the eye thinks it sees the flower of a young fruit and the imperceptible down of a variegated peach; the azure of the veins distills a rich heat through this clear network; she asks and gives life; she is all joy and all love, all kindness and all naivety. She loves her husband, or at least she thinks she loves him. . . "
themes / subjects / places represented:
subject of society, morals, couple, marriage
mode of acquisition: purchase
institution: maison de balzac
inventory number: bal1998. 197. Date: En 1824.
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