Ensor's vision of the political situation in Belgium at the end of the 19th century is clearly expressed in this print. Elevated above the tumult, King Leopold II, like God the Father, looks with evil eyes at a demonstration that is being dispersed by military force. From the crowd, one of the rebels tries to reach the king with his banner. On it are the demands of the people: general conscription, compulsory education and universal suffrage. The king's indifference is evident from the texts that surround him: "What do you want? Are you not satisfied? A little patience. No violence. I see something, but I don't quite understand what it's about." The biting satire on the contemporary political and social context is also found in the etching "Doctrinal Nourishment" (inv. 1998-B-81). The etching "Belgium in the 19th Century" is based on the chalk drawing of the same name (Brussels, Royal Library, inv. S.V. 2736).
| Artist |
James Ensor
RKD
VIAF
Wikidata
|
|---|---|
| Title | Belgium in the 19th Century |
| Date | 1889 |
| Period | 19th century |
| Medium and support | etching AAT |
| Signatures, inscriptions, and markings | inscription: BELGIQUE / XIX SIECLE / QUE VOULEZ-VOUS? N'ETES VOUS PAS CONTENTS / UN PEU DE PATIENCE PAS DE VIOLENCE / JE VOIS BIEN QUELQUE CHOSE MAIS JE NE SAIS POUR QUELLE CAUSE / JE NE DISTINGUE PAS TRES BIEN / SERVICE PERSONNEL / INSTRUCTION OBLIGATOIRE / SUFFRAGE UNIVERSEL |
| signatures (names) bottom left: Ensor | |
| inscription on the reverse: D90 | |
| Collection | print room |
| Object type | etching AAT |
| Inventory number | 1998-B-81-1 |
| Acquisition credit |
purchase
Taevernier, Auguste (coll.) 1998 |
| Current whereabouts | Work currently not on display |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1998-B-81-1 |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/8971/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus | 300056485 fantastic art AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
44A31
banner, standard (as symbol of the state, etc.)
Iconclass
44A311 standard-bearer, flag-bearer Iconclass 44B113 king Iconclass 44C2 the right to vote, the compulsory vote Iconclass 44C24 political enfranchisement of women, women's liberation Iconclass 44C31 political propaganda Iconclass 44C312 political caricatures and satires Iconclass 44C4 political demonstration Iconclass 44F revolution, revolt Iconclass 44G22 police Iconclass 44G373 corporal punishment in public Iconclass 46A7 crowd, mob Iconclass 49L8 inscription Iconclass 56BB3 Dissatisfaction Iconclass 61B2 historical persons Iconclass 61B2(LEOPOLD II) historical person (LEOPOLD II) Iconclass |
| School / Style |
phantasy
satire (artistic device) AAT social realism AAT |
| Henri Leys, Henri de Braekeleer, James Ensor / Loys Delteil. - Paris : Chez l'Auteur, 1925 (nr. 90) |
| James Ensor : Catalogue illustré de ses gravures ; Leur description critique et l'inventaire des plaques = Geïllustreerde catalogus van zijn gravures ; Hun kritische beschrijving en inventaris van de platen = Illustrated catalogue of his engravings ; Their critical description and inventary of the plates / Auguste Taevernier. - Ledeberg (Gent) : Erasmus Boekhandel bv Amsterdam, 1973 (nr. 81) |
| Bake-ituna : 1516, 1813, 2016 = Tratado de paz = Traité de paix = Peace Treaty (publications and catalogs of the exhibitions "1813, Siege, Fire and Reconstruction" and "1516-2016, Treaties of Peace", celebrated between 2013 and 2016) / Georges Didi-Huberman, Jean-Marc Lafon, Pedro G. Romero. - San Sebastián : San Telmo Museo, 2016 |
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