Un invité à un dîner d'hippophages: Vous offrirai-je encore un peu? C'est excellent, n'est-ce pas? 24 - 1865

Honoré Daumier's lithograph presents us with a macabre dinner scene of horse eaters, captured with biting satire. The dominant symbol here is, of course, the severed horse head served as the main course, evoking ancient sacrificial rites and primal consumption. This act of consuming a horse's head carries echoes of archaic rituals, where animals were sacrificed and consumed to absorb their strength and vitality. We can trace similar motifs in various cultural practices, from ancient Greek animal sacrifices to shamanistic rituals in Siberia, where the consumption of animal parts was believed to transfer the animal's spirit. Over time, this evolved into symbolic gestures in art and literature, often representing power, virility, or a connection to the natural world. Daumier exploits the grotesque imagery to critique societal norms and human behavior, engaging viewers on a subconscious level through the repulsive yet captivating depiction of this feast. The horse head, once a symbol of nobility, is reduced to mere food, questioning the values of the modern world. Its cyclical journey through history reveals a fascinating interplay between tradition and transformation, a constant negotiation between the sacred and the profane.