Artwork
The Shepherds of Virgil
The Shepherds of Virgil is a print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1842 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The Shepherds of Virgil is a print by Honoré Daumier, published in the Parisian newspaper Le Charivari on December 31, 1842, as part of the series Ancient History.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts three elderly men in rustic attire seated on a log, one playing a pipe and another holding a staff, conveying a sense of tired yet contemplative camaraderie. The image humorously subverts traditional representations of ancient scenes by dressing them in tattered clothing.
Technique & Style
Daumier's work exemplifies the satirical and caricatural style characteristic of his contributions to Le Charivari, where artists frequently reinterpreted classical themes with a humorous or critical edge.
History & Provenance
The print is now part of the collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
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.
