Artwork
Le liseur
Le liseur is a drawing by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1864 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Le liseur is a drawing by Honoré Daumier, a French artist known for his satirical works.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a lawyer engrossed in reading, exemplifying Daumier's fascination with the legal profession as a subject for his art.
History & Provenance
Daumier's experience with the law courts was personal; he was imprisoned for six months for caricaturing King Louis-Philippe in his engraving Gargantua, and later frequently observed lawyers in court, using them as subjects for his satirical works.
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.
