Artwork

Gallery at Hotel Drouot: The Day of the Sale

Gallery at Hotel Drouot:  The Day of the Sale, by Honoré Daumier, 1862
Gallery at Hotel Drouot:  The Day of the Sale, by Honoré Daumier, 1862

Gallery at Hotel Drouot: The Day of the Sale is a print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1862 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Gallery at Hotel Drouot: The Day of the Sale, an 1862 print by Honoré Daumier, captures a vibrant scene of a sale in progress at the Hotel Drouot in Paris, now part of The Cleveland Museum of Art's collection.

Subject & Meaning

The print depicts a crowded auction room where affluent bidders, identifiable by their top hats and suits, gather around a sale table. Their engaged postures—bending, pointing, and conversing—convey the intensity and social dynamics of the event.

Technique & Style

Daumier employed quick, expressive lines to convey the sense of movement and bustling energy. The realistic, unpolished portrayal of faces and gestures aligns with the Realist movement's emphasis on everyday life and unvarnished observation.

History & Provenance

Created in 1862, the work is now held in the collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art, though specific details of its acquisition history are not provided here.

Context

Hotel Drouot, the setting, was (and remains) a prominent Parisian auction house, making the scene a commentary on 19th-century bourgeois culture and the art market.

Legacy

While specific influences or direct artistic descendants are not detailed here, the work's Realist style and depiction of contemporary life contribute to its significance within Daumier's oeuvre and the broader Realist movement.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Honoré Daumier

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.

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: Cleveland Museum of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.