Ratapoil

Honoré Daumier is primarily known for his caricatures, in which he provides a biting satirical critique of France’s July Monarchy (1830–48), and later the Second Empire under Napoleon III. From the 1830s on, however, he also produced sculptures which engage with contemporary society in an equally critical and humorous fashion. The bronze sculpture »Ratapoil« represents the social type of the spy under Napoleon III (1852–1870). Self-confident, the provocateur leans on his club, propaganda leaflets sticking out from under his gown, while he holds open his pocket for the payment he demands. The figure’s beard, which despite its rough modeling is extremely lively and vigorous, is based on the beard of Napoleon III. Daumier thus created a caricature which encapsulates the restorationist and military core of Napoleon III’s politics in a single figure.