On a beau dire, l'antique est toujours beau... 1850

"On a beau dire, l'antique est toujours beau" ("It's no use saying it, the antique is always beautiful") is a lithograph by Honoré Daumier from 1850, depicting an elderly couple, possibly a husband and wife, seated beneath a leafy tree, gazing at a classical statue of a nude woman on a pedestal. The satirical piece highlights the bourgeois fascination with classical art and a perceived obsession with the "antique" that Daumier was well-known for criticizing. Created for publication in the magazine *Tout ce qu'on voudra*, Daumier's work is often characterized by its sharp social commentary and stark imagery.