Who painted Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas...?

Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas... was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1846.

Where can I see Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas...?

Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas... is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas...?

Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas... is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas...

Honoré Daumier , 1846

Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1846 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumier’s 1846 lithograph *Inconvénient pour un propriétaire de ne pas…* is a satirical print created for mass‑circulation newspapers. Executed on cheap newsprint, the work was intended for a wide readership and functions as a visual commentary on the social and political climate of mid‑19th‑century France.

Subject & Meaning

The image depicts a man in an oversized hat and coat, precariously balanced on a rocky ledge with his arms outstretched, while a sheep lies entangled in a net below. The absurd juxtaposition mocks landowners who, according to the title, forget the traps they have set, thereby critiquing the neglect and exploitation of the lower classes.

Technique & Style

Produced by lithography, the print relies on bold, rough lines and a monochrome palette, emphasizing the chaotic, dark atmosphere. Daumier’s exaggerated caricature and loose drawing style heighten the humor while underscoring the underlying social criticism.

History & Provenance

Daumier contributed this image to the satirical journals *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*, publications known for their anti‑monarchical and anti‑clerical stance. The lithograph’s original distribution on newsprint ensured rapid diffusion among the reading public during the July Monarchy and the early Second Republic.

Context

The print reflects the heightened class tensions of the 1840s, a period when republican ideas challenged the established aristocracy and clergy. Daumier’s republican sympathies inform the work’s pointed mockery of the landed elite, aligning it with a broader tradition of political caricature in French visual culture.

Artist & collection

Artist

Honoré Daumier

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.