Artwork Page for The Relics

Details / Information for The Relics

The Relics

c. 1835

Jean-Jacques Grandville

(French, 1803–1847)
Culture
France, 19th century
Medium
pen and brown ink, brown ink wash, heightened with white and red-orange gouache with scoring on wove paper
Measurements
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.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2018.1065
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

This drawing illustrated Les Reliques, a song written in the voice of the skeleton seen in the image.

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.
A vertically oriented ink and gouache drawing on paper depicts a skeleton wearing a tall miter hat rising from an ornate chest. The figure faces our right, its hand gripping the chest lid. At lower right, two men with light skin tones watch. Tall candles with orange flames flank the chest, while a shelf of skulls sits in the background. White highlights illuminate the bones and draped cloth against the sketched, sepia-toned interior.

The Relics

c. 1835

Jean-Jacques Grandville

(French, 1803–1847)
France, 19th century

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