Beschreibung:

Honoré Daumier (1808-1879) Bustes de Trente-six Parlementaires Conceived circa 1832-4 and cast bewteen 1929 and 1948. The plaster busts from which these bronzes were cast had been in the possession of Charles Philipon with whom Daumier had left them in the 1830s. The Philipon family kept them in two glass cases until 1927 when they were sold to Maurice Le Garrec who arranged for them to be cast in bronze by Barbedienne. The initials MLG on the back of each bronze refer to Maurice Le Garrec Barbedienne cast the busts in an edition of 25 except for d'Argout , Fulchiron , Guizot , Harle , Lameth , Odier , Pataille , Prunelle , Viennet and no. xxxiii unknown which were cast in an edition of 30. It was only by circa 1948 that complete editions of all the thirty-six busts had been finished. i) D'Argout marked on the back MLG , numbered on the inside 19/30 , bronze 5 1/16in. (12.8cm.) high Le Comte d'Argout, as well as being one of the best known politicians of this period was also on account of his large nose one of the most frequently lampooned. He was a conscientious bureaucrat who was censor for the July Monarchy and who also served at various times as Minister for Commerce, Public Works, Fine Arts and the Interior. As well as being celebrated for his nose, he was also well-known for his great ignorance of anything beyond the immediate demands of his office. ii) Baillot marked on the back MLG bronze , numbered on the inside 19/25 , bronze 6 7/8in. (17.5cm.) high Little is known of this man who was made a peer of France in 1834. His fame seems to rest on the fact that he was caricatured by Daumier. iii) Barthe marked on the back MLG bronze , numbered on the inside 19/25 , bronze 6 3/8in. (16.2cm.) high Barthe had been a revolutionary lawyer in the 1820s but he became more conservative and joined the July Monarchy in 1830. As a minister he attempted to curb the misdemeanours of the press which made him a favourite target for caricaturists. iv) Chevandier de Valdrome marked on the back MLG bronze , numbered on the inside 19/25 , bronze 7 3/16in. (18.3cm.) high Chevandier was a deputy in the Assembly and also the director of a factory which manufactured mirrors at Cirey. v) Cunin marked on the back MLG bronze , numbered on the inside 19/25 , bronze 5¾in. (14.6cm.) high Laurent Cunin was an industrialist who rose to political power with the July Monarchy. He filled several different posts in the cabinets of the administration and was consistently attacked in the newspapers for being inactive and dilatory. vi) Delessert marked on the back MLG bronze , numbered on the inside 19/25 , bronze 6 7/8in. (17.5cm.) Delessert was a forward looking industrialist and active member of the Philanthropical Society. In 1801 he had established a cotton spinning mill at Passy and in 1806 he was the first to obtain crystallised sugar from beet. He was a member of the Academy of Sciences and a prominent banker who served as a deputy for twenty-five years. vii) Delort marked on the back MLG bronze , numbered on the inside 19/25 , bronze 9 1/8in. (23.2cm.) high Delort had been one of Napoleon's generals who subsequently became aide-de-camp to Louis Philippe. viii) Dubois marked on the back MLG , numbered on the inside 19/25 , bronze 7 9/16in. (19.2cm.) high Dubois was a deputy in the Assembly as well as being a judge. He was the presiding magistrate at the trial of the would-be assassin who attacked Louis Philippe in 1833. ix) Dupin marked on the back MLG , numbered on the inside 19/25 , bronze 5 5/8in. (14.3cm.) high Dupin moved smoothly from government to government, tailoring his political opinions to stay in power. He was a lawyer and sometime attorney general who had attracted many enemies which did not, however, prevent him from shining in all political constellations. x) Etienne marked on the back MLG bronze , numbered on the inside 19/25 , bronze 6 3/8in. (16.2cm.) high Etienne was a journalist and playwright. He was especia