14. Ivan Terebenef
(1780-1815)
Caricature of Napoléon Attempting to Fly a Kite

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Terebenef, Caricature of Napoléon

Caricature of Napoléon Attempting to Fly a Kite

Etching with hand-coloring, ca.1813, 196 x 285 mm., Napoléon in Caricature N.D.; British Museum Satires N.D. Very fine impression with subtle hand coloring on wove paper with small margins watermarked J. Whatman; flattened diagonal crease at the top. There is an ink inscription apparently in Russian verso and the printed text is also all in Russian, which makes explication virtually impossible for such as us. But note that a hand at the right, labeled 1812, is cutting the kite string with scissors, and a hand at the left, labeled 1813, is putting an arrow through the kite itself. Obviously, it will never get off the ground. Terebenef was originally a sculptor, working in St. Petersburg, but made a series of 43 anti-French caricatures in 1812-13. As this one does not appear in either of the major references, one might conclude that it is rare.