French school, 19th century, circa 1870
Caricature of a man as a monkey watching a butterfly
Inscribed under the drawing on the mounting sheet : West..iti, beau d’indolence, Se balance Avec sa queue, au dessus Du ruisseau d’une fontaine toute pleine D’eau puisée à l’Illissus; La velue escarpolette Se reflète Dans le transparent miroir, Avec la binette blanche Qui se penche, Qui se penche pour se voir. (Victor Hugo. Sarah la baigneuse.) Adaptation from a poem by Victor Hugo published in Les Orientales in 1829 : “Sara la baigneuse”.
Black pencil, watercolor.
Oval : 326 x 256 mm – 12,83 x 10,08 in. ; Mount size: 389 x 271 mm – 15,31 x 10,67 in .
This drawing was part of a series of amusing caricatures drawn by an anonymous but talented and witty amateur who gives an insight into the history and social life in Limoges during the second half of the 19th century.
Under an other drawing by the same hand with the same man figured as a monkey, we can read Mr l’intendant – Limoges 1860.
Condition report – Very fresh watercolor. The drawing is pasted on another, slightly yellowed, sheet of paper.
