Public data from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Learn more
About the Artwork
J. J. Grandville carefully drew this group of insects dancing and playing musical instruments so that they are both true to nature and a satirical representation of contemporary society. They stand on their hind legs, and their closed wings echo the silhouettes of the dresses and coats common in 1800s fashion. One of the best-known illustrators from the early 1800s, Grandville was recognized for his fantastical illustrations, often featuring animals acting like humans. This design is one of more than 50 illustrations he published in the periodical Le Magasin pittoresque (The Picturesque Store).
Inscriptions
signed, lower left, in black ink: J. J. Grandville 1835; verso, upper right, in graphite: No 33 [underlined]; upper right, in graphite: 8
Provenance
[Sotheby-Parke-Bernet, London (4 December 1975), no. 390, repr.]. [Paris art market]; [Galerie Arnoldi-Livie, Munich]; purchased in 1977.
Exhibition history
French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001); Dahesh Museum of Art (February 19-May 18, 2002). Fairy Tales and Fables: Illustration and Storytelling in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 4-September 8, 2024).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Jean-Jacques Grandville (French, 1803–1847)
- Date
- 1835
- Medium
- pen and black ink with watercolor
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 12.5 x 21.3 cm (4 15/16 x 8 3/8 in.)
- Type
- Drawing
- Classification
- Drawing
- Department
- Drawings
- Credit line
- Bequest of Muriel Butkin
- Accession no.
- 2008.345
More by Jean-Jacques Grandville in museum collections
Man in a Nightshirt Reaching for a Bottle Labeled "Fountain of Youth"
Jean-Jacques Grandville1803–47 · Drawing
Illustration for Jérôme Paturot à la recherche d'une position sociale (Jérôme Patruot in Search of a Social Position), by Louis Reybaud, Paris, 1846
Jean-Jacques Grandvilleca. 1846 · Drawing
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00011488
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