An older man, a woman, and a child who holds a chair upside-down on his head stand near each other in this vertical painting, which is made with dabs and strokes of muted grays, cream white, and golden tan. The scene is lit from our right, creating deep shadows. At the center of the composition, the man has light gray skin and he stands with his body angled slightly to our left, as he looks in that direction. His eyes are shaded and he has a round nose over a mouth mostly covered in shadow. His hat has two peaks like rounded horns and a smoke-gray scarf wraps around his neck. He wears a…
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Wandering Saltimbanques

Honoré Daumier (French, 1808 - 1879)

1847/1850

Medium
oil on wood
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
overall: 32.6 x 24.8 cm (12 13/16 x 9 3/4 in.) ; framed: 52.7 x 44.7 cm (20 3/4 x 17 5/8 in.)
Culture
French
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CF
Credit line
Chester Dale Collection
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art

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