Caption

La force prime le droit, Otto von Bismarck by a cage with monkeys, print, The Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck looks through the bars of a cage in which a monkey violently steals food from another monkey. In the foreground, a cloth bearing Von Bismarck's statement 'La force prime le droit'., printmaker: Charles Verlat, c. 1850 - 1890, Charles Verlat, printmaker, paper, chine collé, etching, drypoint, retroussage, intaglio printmaking technique, height 196 mm x width 247 mm, historical persons, official, civil servant, functionary (in general), monkeys, apes, A monochrome etching shows several primates clustered in a dim, textured interior; one large ape sits hunched in the foreground with detailed fur and musculature, holding and examining a smaller primate whose mouth is open and whose limbs hang limp. To the right a darker ape grips vertical bars and leans toward a barred opening where a human face wearing a hat peers in from outside, visible through the bars. In the left background tiny faces of other primates peek out from shadow, and the floor is littered with straw, small round objects, and scattered debris. The scene is rendered with dense cross-hatching and fine line work, creating strong contrasts and a sense of cramped enclosure.

Credit line

Photo12/Liszt Collection

Reference

LZT26B19_450

License type

Rights managed

Available size

36.1Mb (9.4Mb) / 13.4in x 10.5in / 4009 x 3148 (300dpi)

Keywords

La force prime le droit Otto von Bismarck cage monkeys print Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck looks bars monkey violently steals food another monkey foreground cloth bearing Von Bismarck's statement printmaker Charles Verlat c 1850 - 1890 paper chine collé etching drypoint retroussage intaglio printmaking technique height 196 mm x width 247 mm historical persons official civil servant functionary in general apes monochrome etching several primates clustered dim textured interior large ape sits hunched detailed fur musculature holding examining smaller primate mouth open limbs hang limp right darker ape grips vertical bars leans barred opening human face wearing hat peers outside visible left background tiny faces primates peek shadow floor littered straw small round objects scattered debris scene rendered dense cross-hatching fine line work creating strong contrasts sense cramped enclosure