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Title

When the devil grew old, he became a hermit

1835

Artist

Honoré Daumier

France

26 Feb 1808 – 10 Feb 1879

  • Details

    Alternative title
    Quand le Diable devint vieux, il se fit Hermite
    Date
    1835
    Media category
    Print
    Materials used
    lithograph
    Edition
    only state
    Dimensions
    19.9 x 26.3 cm image; 27.8 x 36.7 cm sheet
    Signature & date

    Not signed. Not dated.

    Credit
    Purchased 1990
    Location
    Not on display
    Accession number
    358.1990
    Copyright

    Reproduction requests

    Artist information
    Honoré Daumier

    Works in the collection

    123

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  • About

    Plate 476 published in 'La Caricature', no 229, 26 March 1835.

    Here the statesman Talleyrand (1754–1838) and King Louis-Philippe appear in the guise of monks, kneeling before a cross upon which Freedom is crucified. The three numbers signify the key dates of the July Revolution of 1830 that brought the king to power. Louis-Philippe holds a rosary of coins while Talleyrand, who sports horns and a Phrygian cap, wears symbols of the Bourbon crown, the Pope’s mitre, the Napoleonic eagle, the fleur-de-lis of Charles X, and a pear representing Louis-Philippe. The cat symbolises deceit and treachery.

Other works by Honoré Daumier

See all 123 works