Ten Original Nude Lithographs – Diabolico foutro manie, Achille Devéria, c.1835

A rare and unusually extensive group of ten original monochrome lithographs from Diabolico-foutro-manie, attributed to the French Romantic artist Achille Devéria (1800–1857) and dating from circa 1835.

The ten different compositions combine finely drawn figures and carefully staged interiors with devils, imps, dark humour and decidedly uninhibited subject matter. Behind the mischief lies the remarkably accomplished work of the Parisian Romantic lithographic school, produced for a growing but necessarily discreet market for such pictures during the 1830s.

Diabolico-foutro-manie was issued anonymously and is attributed to Devéria. Christie’s described the series as one of Devéria’s most astonishing and least-known works, noting that it has often been confused with the related Diableries of Eugène Le Poittevin.

These are original monochrome impressions on exceptionally thin period paper. They are unsigned and without captions or publication details, as is characteristic of this clandestinely produced series. All ten reverses are blank.

Whatever their precise journey, ten examples remaining together constitute a substantial and uncommon group from this notorious French Romantic series.

Each sheet measures approximately 135mm wide × 183mm high, with a printed image of approximately 119mm wide × 147mm high. Both the sheets and printed areas vary by a few millimetres.

An extremely good find which I hope you find of interest.