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Le Malade imaginaire (The Hypochondriac)
Maker
(artist)
1808-1879
1808-1879
Title
Le Malade imaginaire (The Hypochondriac)
Date of Production
(circa) 1850
Medium
black chalk, black and grey wash, watercolour and bodycolour on laid paper
Dimensions
Height: 20.6 cm
Width: 27.1 cm
Width: 27.1 cm
Accession Number
D.1934.SC.113
Mode of Acquisition
Samuel Courtauld, gift, 1934
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Location
Not currently on display
Keywords
Hypodermic syringes
hypochondriacs_CIA
Label Text
Known for his acerbic caricatures, here Daumier loosely reinterprets a scene from ‘Le malade imaginaire’ (The hypochondriac; 1673), a satirical play by the French playwright Molière. Followed by his assistant who holds an exaggeratedly large clyster, Doctor Purgon visits his patient Argan, whose pale face is barely distinguishable against the white of the bedsheets and piled-up pillows. He wears a comical nightcap tightened by a blue ribbon; his whole appearance makes him seem as fragile and vulnerable as a frightened child. The doctor, theatrically depicted admonishing the patient for not using the cure he had suggested, dominates the scene. Only too happy to exploit Argan’s hypochondria, Doctor Purgon reinforces his authority by carrying a book, proof of his certified knowledge. Behind him, his assistant stands ready to administer the only possible remedy: an enormous enema.
In Molière’s time, the enema was thought to be a remedy for all problems and administered indiscriminately. The clyster used to deliver them was a crude instrument originally constructed from bones or wood attached to animal bladders or a cloth bag; it was later replaced by a piston and cylinder device. By Daumier’s time, the belief that enemas would cure all conditions was discredited: as such, they had become a symbol of medical folly and were used to criticise the abuse of real and professed doctors in satirical images not dissimilar to this one, like the French eighteenth-century engraving ‘A man is blown out of a window by an enema’ (London, Wellcome Collection).
In Molière’s time, the enema was thought to be a remedy for all problems and administered indiscriminately. The clyster used to deliver them was a crude instrument originally constructed from bones or wood attached to animal bladders or a cloth bag; it was later replaced by a piston and cylinder device. By Daumier’s time, the belief that enemas would cure all conditions was discredited: as such, they had become a symbol of medical folly and were used to criticise the abuse of real and professed doctors in satirical images not dissimilar to this one, like the French eighteenth-century engraving ‘A man is blown out of a window by an enema’ (London, Wellcome Collection).
Notes
This drawing relates to a group of works illustrating the satirical play Le Malade imaginaire (The Hypochondriac) by the French playwright Molière (1622–1673). It appears to illustrate the scene in which Doctor Purgon berates the patient Argan for not using the cure that he had provided. Daumier has deviated from the script, however, as the scene requires Purgon, Argan and a maid, rather than two doctors. In Daumier’s caricature, the apparently bedridden patient swathes himself in a blanket up to his chin as if in a shroud, exposing only his face to the visiting doctor and his assistant. Propped up on excessively bolstered cushions and sporting a nightcap with a bow, the patient’s impression of fragility instead conveys a sense of the ludicrous. The physicians are no less farcical: the doctor at his bedside raises one hand as if to silence his patient while making his learned pronouncement. Daumier’s rendering of the doctor’s haughty expression, with his raised brows, downturned mouth and heavy-lidded eyes looking down the bridge of his nose, captures the essence of the physician’s self-important lecture. His assistant, meanwhile, squints through his glasses at the patient while holding an oversized syringe for administering an enema. Though Daumier has added the comic element of the myopic doctor wielding an instrument requiring delicacy and precision, he has retained the theatrical origins of the story through the presence of the draped curtains in the background and the lighting, evocative of the illuminated stage. Among Daumier’s works illustrating Molière’s play are two paintings, The Hypochondriac (Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia) and Dr Diafoirus (Bakwin collection, New York), dating to 1860–63 and 1870 respectively. As Daumier did not routinely date his drawings, this sheet cannot be dated with any certainty, but may have been executed around that time.
[Entry from The Courtauld Collection: A Vision for Impressionism, exh. cat., Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, 2019]
Provenance
Lemaire, Paris; Etienne Bignou (Paris); Reid and Lefèvre (Glasgow); purchased there by L'Art Moderne (Lucerne), June 1928 (as 'Scène de Molière'); purchased there by Samuel Courtauld, London (1876-1947), March 1929 (£1,800); Courtauld Gift 1934
Exhibition History
The Courtauld Collection. A Vision for Impressionism, Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris, 20/02/2019-17/06/2019
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Frick Collection, New York, 02/10/2012-27/01/2013
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 14/06/2012-09/09/2012 ...More
Daumier, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 09/02/2000-14/05/2000
Daumier (1808-1879), Paris, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, 01/10/1999-01/01/2000
Daumier 1808-1879, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 03/06/1999-06/09/1999; Grand Palais, Paris, 05/10/1999-03/01/2000; Phillips Collection, Washington, 19/02/2000-14/05/2000
The Courtauld Collection: Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 14/06/1998-21/09/1998
The Courtauld Collection, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, 26/12/1997-12/05/1998
Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Related Drawings from the
Courtauld Collections, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 11/05/1988-04/09/1988
The Impressionists and Post-Impressionists from the Courtauld Collection, Tokyo, 12/01/1984-28/02/1984; Kyoto, 03/03/1984-03/04/1984; Osaka, 12/04/1984-08/05/1984; Australia National Gallery, Canberra, 01/06/1984-06/08/1984
Mantegna to Cezanne - Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 24/02/1983-19/06/1983
Daumier et ses amis republicains, Musée Cantini, Marseille, 1979
Drawings from the Courtauld, Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield; Wolverhampton Art Gallery; Bolton Museum and Art Gallery; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle; Ferens Art Gallery, Hull; Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery, 1977-79
Samuel Courtauld's collection of French 19th century paintings and drawings: a centenary exhibition to commemorate the birth of Samuel Courtauld, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1976
Honoré Daumier. Gemälde Zeichnungen Lithographien Skulpturen, Villa Schneider, Ingelheim am Rhein, 24/04/1971-31/05/1971
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1966
Daumier. Paintings and drawings, Tate Gallery, London, 14/06/1961-30/07/1961
Drawings and Engravings from the Courtauld Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, December 1959-April 1960
Daumier. Le peintre graveur, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, 1958
Impressionistes de la Collection Courtauld de Londres, Orangerie, Paris, 1955
Samuel Courtauld memorial exhibition, Tate Gallery, London, 1948
A Loan exhibition of English and French paintings & drawings, Village Hall, Silver End, Essex, 30/03/1935-27/04/1935
French Art 1200-1900, Royal Academy, London, 1932
Works by Corot, Daumier, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 16/10/1930-23/11/1930 ...Less
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Frick Collection, New York, 02/10/2012-27/01/2013
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 14/06/2012-09/09/2012 ...More
Daumier, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 09/02/2000-14/05/2000
Daumier (1808-1879), Paris, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, 01/10/1999-01/01/2000
Daumier 1808-1879, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 03/06/1999-06/09/1999; Grand Palais, Paris, 05/10/1999-03/01/2000; Phillips Collection, Washington, 19/02/2000-14/05/2000
The Courtauld Collection: Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 14/06/1998-21/09/1998
The Courtauld Collection, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, 26/12/1997-12/05/1998
Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Related Drawings from the
Courtauld Collections, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 11/05/1988-04/09/1988
The Impressionists and Post-Impressionists from the Courtauld Collection, Tokyo, 12/01/1984-28/02/1984; Kyoto, 03/03/1984-03/04/1984; Osaka, 12/04/1984-08/05/1984; Australia National Gallery, Canberra, 01/06/1984-06/08/1984
Mantegna to Cezanne - Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 24/02/1983-19/06/1983
Daumier et ses amis republicains, Musée Cantini, Marseille, 1979
Drawings from the Courtauld, Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield; Wolverhampton Art Gallery; Bolton Museum and Art Gallery; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle; Ferens Art Gallery, Hull; Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery, 1977-79
Samuel Courtauld's collection of French 19th century paintings and drawings: a centenary exhibition to commemorate the birth of Samuel Courtauld, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1976
Honoré Daumier. Gemälde Zeichnungen Lithographien Skulpturen, Villa Schneider, Ingelheim am Rhein, 24/04/1971-31/05/1971
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1966
Daumier. Paintings and drawings, Tate Gallery, London, 14/06/1961-30/07/1961
Drawings and Engravings from the Courtauld Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, December 1959-April 1960
Daumier. Le peintre graveur, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, 1958
Impressionistes de la Collection Courtauld de Londres, Orangerie, Paris, 1955
Samuel Courtauld memorial exhibition, Tate Gallery, London, 1948
A Loan exhibition of English and French paintings & drawings, Village Hall, Silver End, Essex, 30/03/1935-27/04/1935
French Art 1200-1900, Royal Academy, London, 1932
Works by Corot, Daumier, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 16/10/1930-23/11/1930 ...Less
Literature
Serres, Karen (ed.), The Courtauld Collection: A Vision for Impressionism, Paul Holberton Publishing 2019
no. 1 on p. 98
illus. p. 99
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, Frick Collection, New York and Courtauld Gallery, London London 2012-2013
pp. 226-29
Daumier 1808-1879, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Grand Palais, Paris, 1999-2000
cat. no. 206
no. 206 on p. 357, p. 356 under no. 205
ilus. p.357 ...More
The Courtauld Collection: Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Art Gallery of Ontario, 1998
cat. no. 2
illus. p. 20
Laughton, Bruce, Honoré Daumier, New Haven and London 1996
pp. 88ff
John House, Impressionism for England: Samuel Courtauld as Patron and Collector, Courtauld Institute Galleries 1994
no. 75
illus. p. 193
Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Related Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1988
cat. no. 12
Farr, Dennis, 100 Masterpieces from the Courtauld Collections, London: Courtauld Institute Galleries, 1987
p. 202
illus. p. 203
The Impressionists and Post-Impressionists from the Courtauld Collection, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Canberra, 1984
cat. no. 21
Mantegna to Cezanne: Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 1983
cat. no. 103
illus. p. 107
Daumier et ses amis republicains, Musée Cantini, Marseille, 1979
cat. no. 65
illus. p. 84
Drawings from the Courtauld, Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield; Wolverhampton Art Gallery; Bolton Museum and Art Gallery; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle; Ferens Art Gallery, Hull; Ports, 1977-79
cat. no. 5
p. 28
illus. p. 6
Honoré Daumier. Gemälde Zeichnungen Lithographien Skulpturen, Villa Schneider, Ingelheim am Rhein, 1971
cat. no. 38
Maison, K.E., Honoré Daumier. Catalogue raisonné of the paintings watercolours and drawings, New York 1967
vol. II, no. 486
illus. pl. 165
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1966
cat. no. 8
Daumier. Paintings and drawings, Tate Gallery, London, 1961
cat. no. 165
p. 56
illus. pl. 28B
Maison, K.E., Daumier drawings, New York 1960
no. 98
illus. pl. 98
Daumier. Le peintre graveur, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, 1958
cat. no. 211
p. 58
Marseille, Revue Municipale, 1956; no. 29
p. 39
Impressionistes de la Collection Courtauld de Londres, Orangerie, Paris, 1955
cat. no. 74
p. 53
illus. pl. 6
Cooper, Douglas, The Courtauld Collection, London 1954
no. 113 on pp. 134-35
illus. pl. 72
Home House Trustees, A catalogue of the pictures and other works of art at Home House, 20 Portman Square, London, London 1935
no. 76, p. 28
Commemorative catalogue of the exhibition of French art, 1200-1900, Royal Academy, London, 1932 London 1933
no. 805
illus. pl. CXCII
Fuchs, Eduard, Der Maler Daumier, Munich 1930
no. 337
Works by Corot, Daumier, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1930
cat. no. 98
p. 36
Cahiers d'Art, 1928; III
illus. p. 194 ...Less
no. 1 on p. 98
illus. p. 99
Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, Frick Collection, New York and Courtauld Gallery, London London 2012-2013
pp. 226-29
Daumier 1808-1879, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Grand Palais, Paris, 1999-2000
cat. no. 206
no. 206 on p. 357, p. 356 under no. 205
ilus. p.357 ...More
The Courtauld Collection: Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Art Gallery of Ontario, 1998
cat. no. 2
illus. p. 20
Laughton, Bruce, Honoré Daumier, New Haven and London 1996
pp. 88ff
John House, Impressionism for England: Samuel Courtauld as Patron and Collector, Courtauld Institute Galleries 1994
no. 75
illus. p. 193
Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Related Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1988
cat. no. 12
Farr, Dennis, 100 Masterpieces from the Courtauld Collections, London: Courtauld Institute Galleries, 1987
p. 202
illus. p. 203
The Impressionists and Post-Impressionists from the Courtauld Collection, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Canberra, 1984
cat. no. 21
Mantegna to Cezanne: Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 1983
cat. no. 103
illus. p. 107
Daumier et ses amis republicains, Musée Cantini, Marseille, 1979
cat. no. 65
illus. p. 84
Drawings from the Courtauld, Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield; Wolverhampton Art Gallery; Bolton Museum and Art Gallery; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle; Ferens Art Gallery, Hull; Ports, 1977-79
cat. no. 5
p. 28
illus. p. 6
Honoré Daumier. Gemälde Zeichnungen Lithographien Skulpturen, Villa Schneider, Ingelheim am Rhein, 1971
cat. no. 38
Maison, K.E., Honoré Daumier. Catalogue raisonné of the paintings watercolours and drawings, New York 1967
vol. II, no. 486
illus. pl. 165
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1966
cat. no. 8
Daumier. Paintings and drawings, Tate Gallery, London, 1961
cat. no. 165
p. 56
illus. pl. 28B
Maison, K.E., Daumier drawings, New York 1960
no. 98
illus. pl. 98
Daumier. Le peintre graveur, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, 1958
cat. no. 211
p. 58
Marseille, Revue Municipale, 1956; no. 29
p. 39
Impressionistes de la Collection Courtauld de Londres, Orangerie, Paris, 1955
cat. no. 74
p. 53
illus. pl. 6
Cooper, Douglas, The Courtauld Collection, London 1954
no. 113 on pp. 134-35
illus. pl. 72
Home House Trustees, A catalogue of the pictures and other works of art at Home House, 20 Portman Square, London, London 1935
no. 76, p. 28
Commemorative catalogue of the exhibition of French art, 1200-1900, Royal Academy, London, 1932 London 1933
no. 805
illus. pl. CXCII
Fuchs, Eduard, Der Maler Daumier, Munich 1930
no. 337
Works by Corot, Daumier, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1930
cat. no. 98
p. 36
Cahiers d'Art, 1928; III
illus. p. 194 ...Less
Inscriptions
Watermark: upper edge, fragment: bottoms of letters "HUDELIST" [see tracing in file and reference to other Daumier drawings with the same watermark, also in file].
Inscription: Recto: lower left, grey wash, signed with initial: “h” and below that signed in black ink: “h. Daumier”. Verso: centre, graphite, unclear: “57 Hd/ [?]”.
Collector's mark: none.
Inscription: Recto: lower left, grey wash, signed with initial: “h” and below that signed in black ink: “h. Daumier”. Verso: centre, graphite, unclear: “57 Hd/ [?]”.
Collector's mark: none.
Information on this object may be incomplete and will be updated as research progresses. We are particularly committed to addressing any discriminatory or offensive language and ideas that might be present in our records. To help improve this record, and to enquire about images of The Courtauld Gallery Collection, please email gallery.collectionsonline@courtauld.ac.uk. Find out more about using and licensing our images.
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