The Relics

Description

Grandville was known for the many illustrations he contributed to books and periodicals, often in a creative, fantastic style. This drawing relates to an image that appeared in an 1835 edition of the popular songwriter Pierre Jean de Béranger’s complete works. It accompanied the lyrics to a macabre song entitled Les Reliques, written in the voice of the skeleton who appears in the image.

Provenance

Shepherd Gallery, New York, NY; Mr. Noah L. Butkin [1918-1980] (September 1975); Mrs. Muriel Butkin [1915-2008] (1980-2005); the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 3, 2018)

The Relics

Jean-Jacques Grandville

c. 1835

Accession Number

2018.1065

Medium

pen and brown ink, brown ink wash, heightened with white and red-orange gouache with scoring on wove paper

Dimensions

Sheet: 11.8 x 9.4 cm (4 5/8 x 3 11/16 in.); Mounted: 20.6 x 16.5 cm (8 1/8 x 6 1/2 in.)

Classification

Drawing

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Bequest of Muriel Butkin