Lot Essay
The difficulties of dating Daumier's work are well known but Bernard Lorenceau suggests that this watercolour was most probably executed circa 1857-1860. Such a date would be in keeping with the quality of Daumier's draughtsmanship which seems to have reached its peak in the late 50s and 60s. Discussing Daumier's relaxed attitude to his sketches Maison writes, 'Naturally, the great watercolours and wash drawings which were made for sale, escaped this treatment. Especially during the years 1860-63, when Daumier had severed his relations with Charivari, their sale was of great importance to him, as his financial position had become most precarious. The 1860s on the other hand, was the period in the artist's life when his genius as a draughtsman was at its zenith. These are the years of the Third Class Carriages, the Amateurs, the Mountebanks, the finest of the Court Scenes, and, finally, of the Don Quixote series'.
Judging by the quality of this version of Deux Buveurs, which Lorenceau describes as 'the most developed study of this subject', it would seem that this was executed as a watercolour in its own right rather than as a study. This is supported by the fact that it is fully signed and no oil of the subject is known to exist. The only other known version of the subject, also titled Deux Buveurs (Maison 315), is far looser than the present drawing. As Lorenceau points out it 'is not as precise in the caricatures and the density of the conversation is diluted in a very smoky atmosphere.' It should also be noted that Maison 315 is initialled rather than fully signed.
Works of the same quality which are close in spirit to the present drawing include Les Bons Amis in the George A. Lucus Collection, Baltimore Museum of Art (Maison 319) and La Fine Bouteille in the National Museum, Stockholm (Maison 328). According to Maison the latter of these was executed between 1856 and 1860 dating it from the same period as the present watercolour.
We are grateful to Bernard Lorenceau and Philippe Brame for their assistance in cataloguing and confirming the authenticity of this work.
Judging by the quality of this version of Deux Buveurs, which Lorenceau describes as 'the most developed study of this subject', it would seem that this was executed as a watercolour in its own right rather than as a study. This is supported by the fact that it is fully signed and no oil of the subject is known to exist. The only other known version of the subject, also titled Deux Buveurs (Maison 315), is far looser than the present drawing. As Lorenceau points out it 'is not as precise in the caricatures and the density of the conversation is diluted in a very smoky atmosphere.' It should also be noted that Maison 315 is initialled rather than fully signed.
Works of the same quality which are close in spirit to the present drawing include Les Bons Amis in the George A. Lucus Collection, Baltimore Museum of Art (Maison 319) and La Fine Bouteille in the National Museum, Stockholm (Maison 328). According to Maison the latter of these was executed between 1856 and 1860 dating it from the same period as the present watercolour.
We are grateful to Bernard Lorenceau and Philippe Brame for their assistance in cataloguing and confirming the authenticity of this work.