Description
Vintage framed color print after Honoré Daumier’s celebrated 1847 courtroom satire, A Demosthenian Peroration, originally titled Une péroraison à la Démosthène. Daumier was one of the most important French caricaturists and social satirists of the 19th century, particularly renowned for his incisive depictions of lawyers, judges, and the legal profession.
The original composition was published on November 1, 1847 as Plate 33 of Daumier’s Les Gens de Justice series. Examples of the original lithograph are held by major museum collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Princeton University Art Museum, and the National Gallery of Art.
This vintage color reproduction presents the famous courtroom scene in an especially attractive traditional framing treatment. The theatrical attorney throws himself backward with one arm raised as he reaches the climax of his argument-a satirical reference to Demosthenes, the legendary Greek orator.
* Vintage framed presentation with glass and a generously proportioned cream mat
* English title “A Demosthenian Peroration.” printed beneath the image
* Artwork derived from Daumier’s historically important 1847 Les Gens de Justice series
* Courtroom, lawyer and judicial subject matter makes this particularly appealing for an attorney’s office, law library, judge’s chambers or legal-history collection
* Muted period-style color palette of black, gray, blue, tan and red
* Daumier’s h.D. 1087 plate notation is reproduced within the composition; it is not a hand-applied signature
* Printed image is approximately 10 x 7½ inches, with a larger bordered presentation area of approximately 12 x 9 inches
* Substantial traditional wood frame is wired and ready for display
This is a vintage reproduction after Daumier’s original lithograph, not being represented as an original 1847 impression or as hand-colored. The older frame and mat show the character expected from age. The kraft-paper backing has tears and wear, while the artwork displays very attractively from the front.
An excellent piece of vintage legal décor with genuine art-historical context, combining Daumier’s famous satire with a ready-to-display period presentation.
Please view all the photos for the artwork, frame, matting, backing and overall condition.
