Gulliver Awed by Three Giant Beggars in the Land of Brobdingnag

1862

Paul Gavarni

Associated Names
Paul Gavarni

Artist, French, 1804 - 1866

This is a painting of a surreal scene featuring a figure looking out of a window at three large faces. The painting depicts an interior setting with a figure seated on the floor facing away, looking out through a large window. Outside the window, three gigantic heads are visible, each with exaggerated features and expressions. The colors used are soft, with a mix of pinks, blues, and browns. The style of the painting closely resembles Gustave Doré's work. The surrounding curtains and furnishings are detailed, adding depth and perspective to the scene.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink with watercolor and gouache over graphite on wove paper, laid down

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 23.2 x 16.4 cm (9 1/8 x 6 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2009.26.1


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(sale, Christie's Paris, 21 November 2007, no. 224); (Stephen Ongpin Fine Art, London); purchased 2009 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2012

  • Vernet to Villon: Nineteenth-Century French Master Drawings from the National Gallery of Art. Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma. Norman, OK, 2012, no. 16.

2018

  • Sense of Humor: Caricature, Satire, and the Comical in Prints and Drawings from Leonardo to the Present, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2018 - 2019.

Inscriptions

lower right in pen and red ink: Gavarni

Wikidata ID

Q64619038

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