Who painted Baliverneries Parisiennes?

Baliverneries Parisiennes was painted by Paul Gavarni in 1846.

Where can I see Baliverneries Parisiennes?

Baliverneries Parisiennes is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Baliverneries Parisiennes?

Baliverneries Parisiennes is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Baliverneries Parisiennes

Paul Gavarni , 1846

Baliverneries Parisiennes is a print by the Romanticist artist Paul Gavarni. It dates from 1846 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created around 1846, Baliverneries Parisiennes is a print by French illustrator Paul Gavarni. The work is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It presents a compact interior scene that blends elements of a study with a cabinet of curiosities, inviting viewers into a subtly unsettling domestic space.

Subject & Meaning

The composition features a man in a long coat clutching a skull while smoking a pipe, and a woman in a high‑necked dress examining a small bust placed on a table. Shelves behind them hold additional skulls, books, and assorted objects, suggesting a meditation on mortality, knowledge, and the peculiarities of everyday life.

Technique & Style

Gavarni employs loose, sketchy lines and a restrained tonal palette to convey atmosphere. The drawing’s chiaroscuro lighting creates a dim, intimate ambience, while the rapid, gestural strokes emphasize the fleeting, almost theatrical quality of the scene, aligning it with mid‑nineteenth‑century French print traditions.

History & Provenance

Baliverneries Parisiennes was produced in the mid‑1840s, a period when Gavarni was prolific in publishing satirical and genre prints. The piece entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition in the twentieth century, though specific details of its earlier ownership remain undocumented.