Lions Triptych Lithographic Plate by Auguste Roubille

Periodic art portfolio, lithographic plate by A. Roubille. Lion examples published by Hoffman, Stuttgart. Triptych of lions – Top: Two lions in a crouched position, roaring. Middle: One lion, one lioness in a crouched hunting position. Bottom: Hercules wrestling a lion.

There is little information in the art history books about Auguste Jean-Baptiste Roubille (1872-1955). He was an engraver and a painter (he did café murals), a book illustrator, and a designer of posters and dioramas. Thanks to Stanley Appelbaum’s French Satirical Drawings from ‘L’Assiette Au Beurre’ for this little bit of biography. Beginning in 1897, Roubille worked for many of the Paris humor magazines, such as Le Courrier Français, Le Rire, Le Sourire, Le Cri de Paris, Cocorico, and others. L’Assiette claimed his services for its very first issue in April 4, 1901 and frequently in the years that followed.