In Church

1855/1857

Honoré Daumier

Associated Names
Honoré Daumier

Artist, French, 1808 - 1879

This painting shows three abstract figures closely positioned in a row, their heads and upper bodies visible. The figures appear to be sitting side by side, all facing the right and seen in profile. Their facial features are not distinctly detailed. The person farthest to the left appears elderly, with a thin, frowning mouth, wearing a gray outfit with a white cap on their head. The person next to them on the right appears younger, but only their thin nose and round black eyes are visible. They also wear a gray garment with a white cap, a small strip of black hair visible below the cap. Both of these figures have skin colored in a mix of peach and gray. The third figure is the least distinct, with their skin simply a blur of gray and tan and their hair a smudge of reddish-brown. The background is a blur of earthy tones, with a patch of tan in the upper left corner and mostly browns and grays in the rest of the painting. The brushstrokes in the painting are thick and visible.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on wood

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 15.2 x 21.7 x 0.6 cm (6 x 8 9/16 x 1/4 in.)
    framed: 30.8 x 37.8 x 5.1 cm (12 1/8 x 14 7/8 x 2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.11.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Carabin, Paris, by 1901.[1] (Charles Sessler, Philadelphia); sold 30 June 1930 to Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, Pennsylvania;[2] gift 1943 to NGA.
[1] The painting was lent by Carabin to a Daumier exhibition in Paris in 1901. The Sessler bill of sale indicates the painting was "from collection of Carabin" (Gallery Archives, Rosenwald Collection papers, Box 1, file: Subject - Miscellaneous - Sessler Auction Records [1928-1930], copy in NGA curatorial files).
[2] The sale date is according to Sessler records in the Rosenwald Collection papers (Box 153); the bill of sale (see note 1) is dated 1 July 1930.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1901

  • Exposition Daumier, Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1901, no. 28

1930

  • Corot-Daumier, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1930, no. 76

2013

  • Daumier ist ungeheuer!, Stiftung Brandenburger Tor der Landesbank Berlin Holding AG, Max Lieberman Haus, Berlin, 2013, no. 4.08, repro.

Bibliography

1923

  • Klossowski, Erich. Honoré Daumier. Munich, 1923: no. 335.

1930

  • Fuchs, Eduard. Der Maler Daumier. Munich, 1930: 4 (mentioned as missing).

1965

  • Rey, Robert. Honoré Daumier. New York, 1965: 34, fig. 43.

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 37.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 30, repro.

  • Maison, K.E. Honoré Daumier, catalogue raisonné. 2 vols. New York, 1968: I:101, no. 93, repro.

1971

  • Mandel, Gabriele. L'opera pittorica completa di Daumier. Milan, 1971:96, no. 121, repro.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 92, repro.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 437, no. 627, color repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 113, repro.

2000

  • Eitner, Lorenz. French Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part I: Before Impressionism. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 2000: 171-173, repro.

Inscriptions

lower left: h.D.

Wikidata ID

Q20188292

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