Artwork

La querelle des chiens et des chats et celle des chats et des souris (The Quarrel of Cats and Dogs, and that of Cats and Mice)

La querelle des chiens et des chats et celle des chats et des souris (The Quarrel of Cats and Dogs, and that of Cats and Mice) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Johann Christoph Teucher. It dates from 1759 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Johann Christoph Teucher’s hand‑colored etching, dated 1759, presents two chaotic confrontations: one between cats and dogs, the other between cats and mice. The work combines comic exaggeration with meticulous detail, filling the plate with numerous tiny figures that animate the imagined animal disputes.

Subject & Meaning

The scenes function as a visual satire of human quarrels, using animal battles as allegorical stand‑ins for familial or social conflicts. By juxtaposing the larger canine‑feline clash with the diminutive mouse‑cat scuffle, Teucher highlights the universality of discord across scales.

Technique & Style

Executed as a line etching and subsequently hand‑colored, the print demonstrates Teucher’s skill in dense composition. Fine incised lines render the crowded figures, while selective coloration accentuates key characters—such as a dog whose miniature hat mirrors that of its owner—adding narrative depth.

History & Provenance

The etching entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where it remains on view. Its acquisition history reflects the institution’s interest in 18th‑century European prints that blend humor with social commentary.

Context

Created in the mid‑18th century, the work aligns with the period’s fascination for genre scenes that critique society through everyday motifs. Teucher, a German printmaker, often employed animal allegory to comment on contemporary manners and domestic life.