Artwork
L'Avocat que se trouve mal
L'Avocat que se trouve mal 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
Created in 1846, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier captures a bustling courtroom scene with a lawyer feigning illness. The image is rendered in the crisp, high‑contrast lines typical of Daumier’s satirical prints, and it includes a caption that mocks the lawyer’s last‑ditch attempt to stall a weak case.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a lawyer clutching his stomach while holding legal papers, suggesting a deliberate display of sickness to delay proceedings. Around him, spectators in period attire lean forward, and a judge presides from an elevated bench, emphasizing the theatricality of legal maneuvering. The accompanying text satirizes the lawyer’s tactic as a final, ineffective trick.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the work showcases Daumier’s skill in producing fine detail and bold tonal contrasts through stone‑based printing. The medium allowed rapid reproduction for the satirical journals of the era, enabling Daumier to disseminate his incisive social commentary widely.
History & Provenance
Part of Daumier’s prolific output for publications such as *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*, the print reflects his ongoing engagement with French political and social life during the mid‑19th century. It was produced amid frequent upheavals that shaped the artist’s republican perspective.
Context
Daumier frequently targeted the legal profession, portraying lawyers and judges as objects of ridicule within a broader critique of authority. This lithograph aligns with his broader body of work that uses humor and exaggeration to question the integrity of institutions during a period of intense political change in France.
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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.
