Who painted Mr 'Prudhomme a la chasse?

Mr 'Prudhomme a la chasse was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1856.

Where can I see Mr 'Prudhomme a la chasse?

Mr 'Prudhomme a la chasse is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Mr 'Prudhomme a la chasse?

Mr 'Prudhomme a la chasse is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Mr 'Prudhomme a la chasse

Honoré Daumier , 1856

Mr 'Prudhomme a la chasse is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1856 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumier’s 1856 lithograph “Mr Prudhomme à la chasse” portrays a brief episode of a hunt. Two men stand in an open landscape: an older gentleman, identified as the recurring character Mr Prudhomme, grips a firearm and a handful of birds, while a younger companion gestures toward a distant flock.

Subject & Meaning

The image juxtaposes experience and youthful vigor, using the hunting scene as a vehicle for Daumier’s customary social observation. The older man’s authority and the younger figure’s eager pointing suggest a commentary on generational roles within a popular leisure activity of mid‑nineteenth‑century France.

Technique & Style

Executed as a lithograph, the work relies on a stone‑based printing process that allows Daumier to render fine line work and subtle tonal variations. The composition is concise, with clear outlines and minimal shading, emphasizing the figures’ gestures over detailed background.

History & Provenance

Created in 1856, the print belongs to the period when Daumier was prolific in satirical prints and caricatures. Mr Prudhomme, a recurring figure in his oeuvre, appears here to embody everyday French life, reflecting the artist’s interest in the ordinary and the comic.

Context

Hunting was a widespread pastime among the French middle classes during the Second Empire, providing a familiar setting for Daumier’s audience. By placing his familiar character in this context, the lithograph engages contemporary viewers with a recognizable social scene.

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.