Terms and conditions of use
Montaigne and his cat
(1902)
illustration for The compleat angler by Izaak Walton, vol. 1, published by Freemantle & Co., London, 1902
Medium
etching and plate-tone
Measurements
15.0 × 11.3 cm (image and plate) 25.7 × 18.8 cm (sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1926
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Perhaps the cat’s intelligence, individuality and independence were not fully appreciated or understood until the enlightened sixteenth-century French philosopher and cat lover Michel de Montaigne observed, ‘When I am playing with my cat, how do I know she is not playing with me?’ This book illustration could show the moment this thought dawned on Montaigne as he and his cat seem to be in a stare-off. It does beg the question, Who is in control of this situation?
Artwork Details
Catalogue/s Raisonné
Strang 1962 525 ii/ii; Strang 425
Edition
2nd of 2 states
Inscription
printed in ink (in image) l.l.: W.S.
inscribed in pencil l.r.: Wm Strang
Accession Number
2274-3
Departments
International Prints / International Prints and Drawings
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of the Joe White Bequest