Insects & Arachnids · 19th century
€ 140
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
good, given age. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects from handling. Two larger creases visible. Please study scan carefully.
The print titled "La Ménagerie Impériale" is a satirical caricature featuring Joseph-Marie Piétri. It is part of a series composed of 31 hand-colored lithograph plates by the artist Hadol, published in Paris by Au Bureau des Annonces around 1870. The album, "LA MENAGERIE IMPÉRIALE," depicts various figures as animals, metaphorically representing those who have "devoured" France over the past 20 years, including during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871).
In this specific print, Piétri is depicted with his head attached to the body of a fly. The fly is shown buzzing around, symbolizing deceit and espionage. The text at the top reads "PIÉTRI" and "N° 14," indicating this is the fourteenth in the series. Below the image, the caption "LA MOUCHE" (The Fly) is followed by "Ruses - Espionage" (Deceit - Espionage), emphasizing Piétri's perceived involvement in cunning and secretive activities.
Émile Joseph Marie Piétri (25 February 1820 – 4 January 1902), known as Joachim Pietri, was a French lawyer and public servant who was prefect of several departments, a repressive police chief of Paris in the last years of the Second French Empire and Bonapartist Senator of Corsica from 1879 to 1885.
The album as a whole, titled "LA MENAGERIE IMPÉRIALE," is a caricatural representation of the royal family and significant politicians of the time, using animal imagery to critique their roles and actions. The plates were originally issued loose in contemporary boards with a mounted hand-colored lithographed title. The format is small quarto (Sm. 4to), and the edges are slightly worn and browned, typical for works of this age.
This print, along with the rest of the album, serves as a historical and political commentary, utilizing humor and satire to criticize the leadership during a turbulent period in France’s history.
