The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 9, 2026

A vertically oriented wood engraving in dense black-inked fine lines depicts people with light skin tones in an auction house. Behind a high wooden desk, a thin man raises a small gavel and looks upward. To the left, a seated figure leans down to write. A dense crowd, many in top hats, fills the foreground and background. Several figures in the lower foreground are seen from the back, facing the auctioneer.

The Auction House: The Auctioneer

1863, printed 1920

Honoré Daumier

(French, 1808–1879)
engraver

Charles Maurand

(French, 1824–1904)
printer

François Louis Schmied

(Swiss, 1873–1941)
France, 19th century
wood engraving
Image: 22.5 x 16.1 cm (8 7/8 x 6 5/16 in.); Sheet: 45.7 x 31.8 cm (18 x 12 1/2 in.)
Gift of Ralph King 1921.1480
Catalogue raisonné: Daumier Register 6017 ; Bouvy 938 ; Rümann 884 ; Fuchs 492
Location: Not on view
  • ?-1921
    Ralph King [1855-1926], Cleveland Heights, OH
    December 22, 1921
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • LoVullo, Nathan. “Born-Digital Auction Catalogs: Library Collaboration Preserves Essential Digital Records.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 65, no. 4 (2025): 22. Reproduced: p. 22 archive.org
  • {{cite web|title=The Auction House: The Auctioneer|url=false|author=Honoré Daumier, Charles Maurand, François Louis Schmied|year=1863, printed 1920|access-date=09 October 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.1480