La V...Espagnole
Print
1870-1871 (printed)
1870-1871 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Satirical print with a depiction of the Empress Eugénie as a cow, tossing her family in the air whilst being ridden by the French statesman Émile Ollivier, who lifts up her tail. The Empress breaks wind at her husband, the Emperor Napoleon, who is tossed into the air. Sitting on the ground, his hat fallen off and looking up in shock, is the Prince Imperial who is about to be trampled under his mother's hind legs. The Empress is branded with a crown and the letter 'E' on her left side. Print from a set of caricatures, broadsheets and illustrations in ten volumes. Each volume is half-bound in red leather, gold tooled and stamped with imperial emblems, title etc.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | La V...Espagnole (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Hand-coloured lithograph on paper |
| Brief description | 'La V...Espagnole'. Satirical illustration by Alfred le Petit depicting the French Empress Eugénie as a cow, tossing her family in the air. Hand-coloured lithograph, France, 1870-1871. |
| Physical description | Satirical print with a depiction of the Empress Eugénie as a cow, tossing her family in the air whilst being ridden by the French statesman Émile Ollivier, who lifts up her tail. The Empress breaks wind at her husband, the Emperor Napoleon, who is tossed into the air. Sitting on the ground, his hat fallen off and looking up in shock, is the Prince Imperial who is about to be trampled under his mother's hind legs. The Empress is branded with a crown and the letter 'E' on her left side. Print from a set of caricatures, broadsheets and illustrations in ten volumes. Each volume is half-bound in red leather, gold tooled and stamped with imperial emblems, title etc. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | Alfred Le Petit "Zut" (1814-1909)
The self-willed Spanish Empress was popularly believed to have the last word in the Imperial household in state as well as private matters. Here depicted as a cow ('vache' also means a loose woman) she tosses her family in the air, farting in disrespect at her husband, while her son whines helplessly on the ground. Napoleon’s Imperial crown of laurel leaves has split into the horns of a cuckold, a reference to Eugénie’s supposed liaison with Ollivier, who still rides securely on her back.
Process engraving, coloured by hand. E.344-1962(27/05/1971-10/10/1971) |
| Historical context | The self-willed Spanish Empress was popularly believed to have the last word in the Imperial household in state as well as private matters. Here depicted as a cow (vache also means a loose woman) she tosses her family in the air, farting in disrespect at her husband, while her son whines helplessly on the ground. Napoleon’s Imperial crown of laurel leaves has split into the horns of a cuckold, a reference to Eugénie’s supposed liaison with Ollivier, who still rides securely on her back. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.344-1962 |
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| Record created | January 28, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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