Artwork
Bouquet envoyé ... A l'empereur de Russie ...
Bouquet envoyé ... A l'empereur de Russie ... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1854 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Dauméer’s lithograph, titled *Bouquet envoyé … A l’empereur de Russie …*, presents a bustling tableau in which a bearded rider on a horse bears an enormous floral arrangement. From the blossoms emerge three smiling faces, while a small dog scampers nearby, adding to the lively composition.
Subject & Meaning
The work satirizes the practice of presenting extravagant gifts to political figures, using the oversized bouquet as a visual metaphor for the absurdity of such gestures. The three heads peeking from the flowers convey a playful mockery, suggesting that the recipients are reduced to caricatured participants in a farcical exchange.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, Daumier employs bold line work and nuanced shading to suggest movement and depth. The rapid, gestural strokes give the image a cartoon‑like immediacy, while the careful rendering of the horse and the bouquet’s details balance spontaneity with deliberate satirical intent.
History & Provenance
Created for a French humor magazine that specialized in political caricature, the print circulated among readers who relished contemporary satire. Its original publication context linked it to the broader 19th‑century tradition of using visual humor to critique authority, though specific ownership records after its initial release remain sparse.
Context
During the period of Daumier’s activity, French periodicals frequently employed exaggerated imagery to comment on diplomatic relations and courtly etiquette. This lithograph reflects that milieu, targeting the practice of gifting lavish bouquets to foreign rulers, a gesture that Daumier rendered both recognizable and absurd.
Artist & collection
Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870.
