2-996-861 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Pygmalion, 1842. O triomphe des arts! quelle fût ta surprise, Grand sculpteur, quand tu vis ton marbre s'animer, et, d'un air chaste et doux, lentement se baisser pour te demander une prise. (O triumph of the arts! what was your surprise, Great sculptor, when you saw your marble come to life, and, with a chaste and gentle air, slowly bend down to ask you for a pinch). In Daumier's interpretation of this myth, a shocked Pygmalion gasps as his statue comes to life and reaches down to take a pinch of snuff. From L'Histoire ancienne.