Who painted (Le Domestique) - Monsieur ferait bien...?

(Le Domestique) - Monsieur ferait bien... was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1852.

Where can I see (Le Domestique) - Monsieur ferait bien...?

(Le Domestique) - Monsieur ferait bien... is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is (Le Domestique) - Monsieur ferait bien...?

(Le Domestique) - Monsieur ferait bien... is associated with Impressionism.

Can I buy a print of (Le Domestique) - Monsieur ferait bien...?

Museum-quality prints of (Le Domestique) - Monsieur ferait bien... are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

(Le Domestique) - Monsieur ferait bien...

Honoré Daumier , 1852

(Le Domestique) - Monsieur ferait bien... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1852 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1852, *Le Domestique (Monsieur ferait bien…)* is a lithographic print by French artist Honoré Daumier. The work belongs to his prolific series of satirical images that appeared in the mid‑nineteenth‑century journals *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*. It captures a brief, domestic encounter, rendered with the crisp line work characteristic of Daumier’s printmaking.

Subject & Meaning

The scene shows two men inside a modest interior; one holds a dark garment while the other gestures animatedly. Though the figures appear ordinary, Daumier’s choice of a servant and his master hints at the social hierarchies of the era, using humor to critique the pretensions of the bourgeois and the lingering influence of the aristocracy.

Technique & Style

Executed in lithography, the print relies on stark contrasts of light and shadow to model the figures against a plain backdrop. Daumier’s handling of line and tonal variation reflects the realist impulse to depict everyday life, while the loose, atmospheric quality anticipates aspects of Impressionist visual language.

History & Provenance

First published in a Parisian satirical newspaper, the lithograph circulated widely among the city’s reading public. Original impressions remain in several museum collections, having been acquired through 19th‑century dealers who specialized in prints and later entered institutional holdings during the early twentieth century.

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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.