Le Malade Imaginaire (The Hypochondriac)

Known for his acerbic caricatures, Honoré Daumier here loosely interprets a scene from the satirical play Le malade imaginaire (The Hypochondriac, 1673) by the French playwright Molière. Argan, the patient, is visited by Doctor Purgon, who lectures self-importantly at the bedside. Terrified, the miserable man, wearing a comical nightcap tightened by a blue ribbon, focuses his attention on the doctor’s assistant who holds an exaggeratedly large clyster, used to administer an enema. By framing the staged scene with a monumental curtain and spotlighting key elements, Daumier emphasizes the comical aspect of the drama.