Honoré Daumier, (artist), French, 1808 - 1879, Ratapoil, model 1851, cast c. 1891, bronze, overall: 43.5 x 16.4 x 18.2 cm (17 1/8 x 6 7/16 x 7 3/16 in.), Viewed from any direction, the swaying, strutting Ratapoil is Daumier's brilliant stab at the political ambitions of Louis-Napoleon, who would proclaim himself emperor of France in 1852. Daumier strongly supported the nascent French democracy and used his art—both his drawn caricatures of Ratapoil that appeared in the satiric journal, Charivari, and this vigorous sculpture—to oppose the idea of a return to monarchy. He fashioned, Ratapoil, (Ratskin) as one of Louis-Napoleon's, agents-provocateurs, a cudgel-carrying bully whose job was to stir up crowds, using bribes and force when necessary, to convince the people to return Louis-Napoleon to power.
Keywords:
Honoré Daumier, French, 1808, 1879, Ratapoil, model 1851, cast c. 1891, bronze, overall
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