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Lot Essay
An indefatigable caricaturist, Daumier remains a key artist of the 19th century, whose talent went far beyond the circle of the press, in which he worked for the most part, and earned him unanimous recognition from his peers. His raging empathy spared no one; from his series on lawyers to that on train travelers, he never ceased to portray his contemporaries, sometimes impassioned, sometimes placid, always humorous.
His profound humanity combined with a great sense of derision inspired numerous head studies, which were a way to test the characters he wanted to represent. The sheet is a perfect example of the artist's style, showing two striking and endearing figures in a few vivid strokes, heightened with grey wash. The head in the upper part of the sheet shows similarities with The Connoisseur, a watercolor at the Metropolitan Museum, New York (inv. no. 29.100.200; K. E. Maison, op. cit., no. 370) and dated 1860-1865. Originally composed of three head studies, the present sheet has been cut in two pieces at an unknown date (between 1927 and 1944); the missing part is now in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow (inv. no. 35.220; K. E. Maison, op. cit., no. 59).
His profound humanity combined with a great sense of derision inspired numerous head studies, which were a way to test the characters he wanted to represent. The sheet is a perfect example of the artist's style, showing two striking and endearing figures in a few vivid strokes, heightened with grey wash. The head in the upper part of the sheet shows similarities with The Connoisseur, a watercolor at the Metropolitan Museum, New York (inv. no. 29.100.200; K. E. Maison, op. cit., no. 370) and dated 1860-1865. Originally composed of three head studies, the present sheet has been cut in two pieces at an unknown date (between 1927 and 1944); the missing part is now in the Burrell Collection in Glasgow (inv. no. 35.220; K. E. Maison, op. cit., no. 59).