Spleen and Ideal or The Cab with Cupids

Spleen and Ideal or The Cab with Cupids

The first part of the title refers to a section of poems in Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal; the second part is simply descriptive. The etching is based on a painting of 1876 and is realized in reverse. The cab is engulfed in darkness, and despite the comforting presence of the cupids, the top of the print shows a devil’s head as controlling the scene—another reference to Baudelaire. Oddly, the head does not appear in the painting, nor in the preliminary drawing.

Félix Buhot
French, 1847–1898

c. 1876

This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.

Etching, aquatint, drypoint, and foul bite
State two of three
Plate: 6 5/16 x 3 7/16 inches