10 - Daumier, Honoré

Daumier, Honoré 1808 Marseille, France – 1879 Valmondois, France "Chargeons les Russes" (Let’s Attack the Russians) · 1854. Lithograph, colored · 26 x 21.3 cm (image size). Signed on the stone at the bottom left: H. Daumier. The bow tie is inscribed with “Constantinople.” It symbolizes the Tsar’s strategic goal (Constantinople), which he greedily attempts to capture. Nicholas I is depicted in a grotesque, almost dancing posture. He appears clumsy and unable to catch the small object of his desire. The caption translates as: “A man constantly pursued by the same fly, without ever managing to lay a hand on it.” Unframed in the collector’s mat with handwritten inscription. Note: The caricature mocks Russian Tsar Nicholas I and his ambitions in the Ottoman Empire. Here, Daumier criticizes Russian foreign policy in the mid-19th century. The tsar attempted to expand Russia’s influence in the Balkans and along the Bosporus, but failed due to resistance from the Ottoman Empire and its allies (France and Great Britain). The caricature depicts the powerful ruler as a powerless, ridiculous figure chasing after an unattainable goal.