Caricature of a Man Reading an Inscription on a Tombstone

Currently not on view

Caricature of a Man Reading an Inscription on a Tombstone

c. 1789

Felice Giani (Italian, 1758–1823)

No explanation has to date been found for the meaning of this caricature of a potbellied old man in a big hat and eccentric, military-type greatcoat studying an "antique" grave stele. The inscription on the tombstone reads "Here lies a nature-loving man, General Lazybones," perhaps an enigmatic reference to a fraught aesthetic issue of the day: whether art should be based on nature or on examples from the past.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Caricature of a Man Reading an Inscription on a Tombstone

Date:

c. 1789

Artist:

Felice Giani (Italian, 1758–1823)

Medium:

Pen and brown ink (possibly iron gall), on beige laid paper, set into an open-backed mount, ruled in brown ink and gold

Dimensions:

Sheet: 10 5/8 x 7 11/16 inches (27 x 19.6 cm)

Classification:

Drawings

Credit Line:

Bequest of Anthony Morris Clark, 1978

Accession Number:

1978-70-294

Geography:

Made in Italy, Europe

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Currently not on view