{"product_id":"les-metamorphoses-du-jour-2","title":"Swimming School by J.J. Grandville","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis enchanting hand-colored plate from J.J. Grandville's celebrated 'Les Métamorphoses du Jour' captures the artist's singular genius for anthropomorphic satire. At a fashionable swimming school, creatures both aquatic and terrestrial take to the water: a stork in a jaunty red cap prepares to dive, while a frog in striped bathing costume looks on with evident amusement. In the pool below, a fish swims alongside gentlemen in top hats, the absurdity of teaching aquatic creatures to swim forming Grandville's pointed commentary on bourgeois pretensions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese images established Grandville as a master of visual satire whose influence would extend to the Surrealists a century later. This plate comes from the prestigious 1854 Gustave Havard edition, published posthumously with delicate hand-coloring that brings each fantastical figure to vivid life. The printer's mark of J. Claye appears at lower right, confirming the Parisian provenance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA standout piece for collectors of French Romantic illustration, this work bridges the gap between 18th-century caricature traditions and modern graphic art. The swimming school subject, numbered XVIII in the series, remains one of the most beloved images in Grandville's satirical bestiary.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.0\" x 10.0\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtist:\u003c\/strong\u003e J.J. Grandville (Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very Good\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Authentic Vintage Posters","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44699234828403,"sku":"AP7221","price":60.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0088\/3005\/8556\/files\/2026-04-04-11-19-06-01.jpg?v=1775337399","url":"https:\/\/www.authenticvintageposters.com\/products\/les-metamorphoses-du-jour-2","provider":"Authentic Vintage Posters","version":"1.0","type":"link"}