Artwork
Magot de la Chine
Magot de la Chine is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1834 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1834, *Magot de la Chine* is a lithographic print by French artist Honoré Daumier. Known chiefly for his work in painting, sculpture and printmaking, Daumier employed the medium to deliver biting social commentary during the turbulent years from the 1830 Revolution to the Second Empire.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a rotund, cross‑legged figure with a wide grin, small eyes and a protruding belly, clothed in a loose robe that pools over its lap. Though the title suggests an exotic Chinese reference, the exaggerated features serve as a caricature of a contemporary authority figure, reflecting Daumier’s republican critique of monarchic and clerical power.
Technique & Style
Daumier’s lithograph relies on crisp, assertive lines and subtle shading to accentuate the figure’s grotesque proportions. The stark contrast between inked outlines and lighter areas heightens the satirical tone, a hallmark of his caricatural approach in print media.
History & Provenance
Produced for the satirical journals *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*, the print circulated among a readership attuned to political dissent. Its survival in museum collections traces back to 19th‑century acquisitions that valued Daumier’s role as a visual chronicler of French public life.
Context
The early 1830s in France were marked by intense political debate over the legacy of the 1830 Revolution and the rise of the July Monarchy. Daumier’s republican sympathies positioned him against the ruling elite, and his prints functioned as visual pamphlets that mocked the aristocracy, clergy and monarchical institutions.
Legacy
*Magot de la Chine* exemplifies Daumier’s influence on the development of political satire in visual art. The work’s blend of humor and criticism prefigures later caricature traditions and underscores the potency of lithography as a tool for public discourse.
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.
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