Caricature Showing the Comte de Provence as a Cat 1700 - 1800

Curator: What an oddity! A peculiar rendering of a feline, somewhat unsettling I'd say. Editor: Odd indeed. Look at the quality of the engraving, the crisp lines that delineate fur and flesh… yet there’s a tension in how these materials come together. A critique through craft, perhaps? Curator: Indeed. This engraving, dating sometime in the 18th century, presents us with a "Caricature Showing the Comte de Provence as a Cat." It's an anonymous work residing here at the Met. Editor: "Le Chat" it's called there below the creature… It really underscores the comparison. What does it mean to render nobility so animalistic? A loss of status? An association between elites and… the comforts of cats? Curator: Caricatures during this period were often potent tools of political commentary. To depict the Comte, a member of the French aristocracy, as a cat... it speaks volumes about perceptions of his character or actions within the tumultuous social landscape of pre-revolutionary France. Consider the role of printmaking itself: inexpensive reproductions enabling wide dissemination of such images, stirring public opinion. Editor: The means of production matter. That such a delicate, detailed print could be replicated to stir public debate. But also note how even with the fine line work of the engraving process, this is crude… meant to be consumed by the masses. High art gone low by subject and process both. Curator: Exactly. We are presented not merely with an image but a piece of political propaganda. How effective do you think this would be? What sort of message do you imagine it sent to its viewers? Editor: I’m drawn back to the cat-like qualities—arched back, tucked tail… it feels defensive, ready to bolt. Is that about his politics, or just simple classist criticism of royal aloofness and comfort at the cost of other's labour? Curator: I believe the power of caricature lies in that ambiguity, enabling multiple interpretations shaped by individual beliefs. And indeed to highlight an image like this really enables moderns to think critically about those interpretations themselves. Editor: Yes! In considering process, materials, and politics—this unassuming print is surprisingly dense with critique. I look at it a bit differently now! Curator: And that’s the real value isn’t it? Engaging the past not just as it was, but what it can say about power today.