Baissez le rideau, la farce est jouée.

Item Information

Title:
Baissez le rideau, la farce est jouée.
Title (alt.):
Lower the curtain, the farce is over.. Caricature
Description:
This print shows a masterly interpretation of King Louis-Philippe dressed in the costume of a clown while the theatre curtain falls. With a sardonic smile he points at "Blind Justitia", thereby insinuating Justice to be a farce. At the same time, the parliamentarians, disappearing in the dark, are not living up to their responsibilities to protect the judicial system. The text on this print is a quote of the last words of Rabelais. When he died drunk, he said "Draw the curtain, the farce is ended". It is interesting to observe that the King was not to take a seat within Parliament but rather in a special box with a curtain towards the plenary. Between 1828 and 1832, Jules de Joly had architecturally redesigned the Chamber of the Palais Bourbon, the seat of Parliament, in a semi-circular form with upward sloping benches. The entire structure showed similarities to an ancient Roman theatre. Daumier frequently used the obvious parallel between politics and theatre in his drawings. Similar to the English division of power, also the French King was not allowed to enter the Parliamentary Chamber under the French constitution. He had to remain “outside” in the Salon du Roi, from where he was able to address the Deputies. The text on this print is a quote of the last words of RABELAIS. When he died drunk, he said "Draw the curtain, the farce is ended". We can assume that this print is referring to a debate of the ministers after the April 1834 riots where measures had been decided which should be taken against the opposition. Most likely, this print refers to one of the usual changes of ministries during the early part of the citizen King's reign. The clown (Pierrot) is the classical personification of traditional pantomime.
Donor:
Trustman, Benjamin A., Trustman, Julia M.
Lithographer:
Daumier, Honoré, 1808-1879
Date:
1834
Format:
Drawings/Illustrations
Location:
Brandeis University Libraries
Collection (local):
Benjamin A. and Julia M. Trustman Collection of Honoré Daumier Lithographs
Subjects:
Jesters
Theaters
Plays
France--History--Louis-Philip, 1830-1848
Clowns in art
Extent:
1 lithograph, b&w, 27 x 35.5 cm
Link to Item:
http://hdl.handle.net/10192/4813
Terms of Use:
Copyright restrictions may apply. For permission to copy or use this image, contact the Robert D. Farber University Archives and Special Collections Department, Brandeis University Libraries. The following credit line must be included with each item used: Benjamin A. and Julia M. Trustman Collection of Honoré Daumier Lithographs, Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Brandeis University.
Contact host institution for more information.
Place of origin:
Paris
Notes:
1st state.
Published in: La Caricature, September 11, 1834.
Notes (acquisition):
Donated by: Benjamin A. and Julia M. Trustman, 1959.
Identifier:
LD86