Franco-German Friendship 130 Years Ago :
Daumier’s Great Work of Reconciliation
Honoré Daumier (Marseille 1808 – Valmondois 1879). To the War of 1870-71. Set of 7 lithographs. (1870-71.) Monogrammed, inscribed. 22.5-24.5 x 18-19.8 cm.
Careful wide-margined impressions on better paper without the text on the back and the “Actualité” series title. – Top margin untrimmed. – Two leaves with several small though not to be overvalued foxing spots. The weak light shadow giving the impression of a tone print.
The great late accord celebrated by literature ,
by which Daumier was ahead of his time by decades, even by a century. A work of reconciliation, created at the climax of mutual hate – in view of the siege of Paris!
“ while Daumier just now … created his most important leaves ”
(Rümann) – as it has not been repeated humanly more moving, artistically more overwhelming down to our days. Seven lithographs – or one picture in seven stations :
Ceci a tué cela. The dead agreed with this war. Delteil, (Le peintre-graveur illustré), Honoré Daumier, 3845, III (of 4) with ills. of the 4th state; Rümann, D. illustr. Buch d. 19. Jhdts., full-page ills. 109. – Before the black spot within the “oui” above of the ballot box;
Un Paysage en 1870. Goya’s canon in a wall’s gap. Delteil 3828, III (of 4) with ills. of an earlier state;
L’Empire c’est la Paix. Ruins and dead. Delteil 3814, III (of 3) with ills. of an earlier state;
Square Napoléon. Place of the dead. Delteil 3824, III (of 3) with ills. of this state;
Pauvre France! … Le Tronc est foudroyé, mais les racines tiennent bon! Just one side sprout of the broken trunk puts forth like a scourge in the storm. Delteil 3843, III (of 3) with ills. of this state;
L’Unité Allemande. The roller of Mars levels out the dead. Delteil 3831, III (of 3) with ills. of this state;
1871 – Épouvantée de l’Héritage. Lamenting woman in front of the dead of the war. Delteil 3838, III (of 3) with ills. of this state.
Worked for the Charivari in that technique, “as whose greatest master he has to be considered in the 19th century” (Jahn, 1957). In the stroke which has become soft and broad, missing the really deep blackness of the early years at whose place now the even light of the plain-air spreads over the presentation. And
in the great late accord of the final years
omitting all material and
“ accusing the wrong of war in symbolic figures only …
“ More moving no master of the Middle Ages has seen the mourning Mother of God below the cross than Daumier the upright figure of the lamenting woman he called ‘Épouvantée de l’Héritage’ ”
“ … and in the broad, quite open and clear stroke mighty figures tower like monuments … As a symbol of eternity each of these figures stands ”
(Glaser, Graphik der Neuzeit).
In which Daumier once again presents himself as sculptor though having nothing in common with the plastic style of the early years.
“ But the ideal that once the young man had in mind materialized in an unexpected freedom (Glaser). ”
Which he did not use for overdrawing disfigurement or distortion:
“ One likes to call him the great or even the greatest caricaturist. But if caricature is intentional distortion of reality then Daumier’s creations are not caricature … Because Daumier does not disfigure, does not distort, what he sees. He sees, grasps reality and his ingenious-unfailing crayon captures, for his own time and for the coming times, how the people and the conditions had been and are in reality … And so as he depicts them, so they are. So they are still today, even if they wore different skirts and hats. We recognize them today … ”
(Richard R. Pokorny in Deutsche Rundschau vol. 84, 2 [1958], 163 ff.).
And only this conception of his time as his environment we owe
Daumier , the great reconciliator.
Offer no. 14,390 / EUR 2199. / export price EUR 2089. (c. US$ 2845.) + shipping
Follow available separate leaves of the set above of the same state, that is careful impressions on better paper without the text on the back and the “Actualité” series title :
Ceci a tué cela. Looking up to God the lamenting figure points with the left to the oui’s of the ballot box, with the right on the fallen. – Delteil 3845, III (of 4) with illustration of the 4th state; Rümann ills. 109. – Before the black spot within the “oui” above of the box. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 6,443 / EUR 343. / export price EUR 326. (c. US$ 444.) + shipping
Un Paysage en 1870. Goya’s canon in the wall’s gap did complete work. – Delteil 3828, III (of 4) with illustration of an earlier state. – With the original distance of the title of 10 mm which is reduced to 8 mm in the 4th state. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 6,445 / EUR 343. / export price EUR 326. (c. US$ 444.) + shipping
L’Empire c’est la Paix. Ruins and dead. – Delteil 3814, III (of 3) with illustration of an earlier state. – See the illustration in Alexandre, Daumier – l’homme et l’œuvre (1888), too. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 6,446 / EUR 322. / export price EUR 306. (c. US$ 417.) + shipping
Square Napoléon. The setting sun over the field of the dead of blvd. Monmartre, Cayenne and Lambessa up to Sédan. – Delteil 3824, III (of 3) with ills. of this state. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 6,448 / EUR 343. / export price EUR 326. (c. US$ 444.) + shipping
Pauvre France! … Le Tronc est foudroyé, mais les Racines tiennent bon! Just one single side sprout of the broken trunk puts forth like a scourge in the storm, but unchanged strong the roots stick to the old ground. – Delteil 3843, III (of 3) with ills. of this state. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 6,444 / EUR 343. / export price EUR 326. (c. US$ 444.) + shipping
GERMAN UNITY 130 YEARS AGO
L’Unité Allemande. The roller of Mars levels out the dead, as there are Württembergers, Badensers, Bavarians, Hanoverans, Saxons, Hesses. – Delteil 3831, III (of 3) with ills. of this state. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 13,385 / EUR 404. / export price EUR 384. (c. US$ 523.) + shipping
Épouvantée de l’Héritage. The figure of France dressed in a black mourning gown in front of the landscape of death of the war of 1871. – Delteil 3838, III (of 3) with ills. of this state. – See the illustration in Escholier, Daumier – Peintre et Lithographe (1923), too. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 6,449 / EUR 343. / export price EUR 326. (c. US$ 444.) + shipping
Honoré Daumier (Marseille 1808 – Valmondois 1879). Le nouveau char de la victoire. Prussians loading the booty in front of a house, i. a. drawers, upholstered chair, putto decorated cabinet clock. Lithograph. (1870-71.) Monogrammed. 24.5 x 18.4 cm.
Delteil 3849, III (of 3) with illustration of this state without the text on the back. – The “Actualité” serial title omitted here. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 3,232 / EUR 86. (c. US$ 117.) + shipping
– – Nous ne nous serions jamais doutés tout de même que nous naviguerions un jour sur ce vaisseau- là. Two joyful marines pointing to the reproduction of an old galley with figure head. Lithograph. (1870-71.) Monogrammed. 23.8 x 17.7 cm.
Delteil 3819, III (of 3) with illustration of this of this state without the text on the back. – The “Actualité” serial title omitted here. – See the complete description.
Offer no. 12,159 / EUR 152. (c. US$ 207.) + shipping
„ heute kam ich wieder nach Hause und fand die Bilder vor. Sie sind wohlbehalten angekommen und in einem guten Zustand … Vielen Dank für Ihre Mühe “
(Frau E. K., 24. Juni 2002)