FRAGONARD Jean-Honoré (1732 ?-1806) - Lot 146

FRAGONARD Jean-Honoré (1732 ?-1806) The little window box Oval canvas Height : 98 ; Width : 85 cm signed, monogrammed at right in a tree trunk: H. F. (old restorations) Provenance : - Possibly part of the decor of the Hôtel de Mortemart-Rochechouart ; - Eugène Kraemer Collection; - His sale, Paris, galerie Georges Petit, May 5, 1913, no. 23 (French 18th-century school); - Anonymous sale, Paris, Palais Galliera, March 11, 1975 (Mes Ader, Picard et Tajan), no. 23 (Fragonard workshop, sold with its counterpart); - Galerie Cailleux, Paris; - Anonymous sale, Zürich, Galerie Koller, September 15, 1994, no. 38; - Sale in Paris, Tajan, December 16, 2008, n°44. Exhibition: - An exhibition of French Paintings, 1600-1800, Tokyo, galerie Lida, June 7-July 2 1988, no. 28; - Three masters of French Rococo: Boucher, Fragonard, Lancret, Tokyo-Osaka-Hakodatu-Yokohama, no. 34. Bibliography : - G. Wildenstein, Fragonard, Bath, 1960, p. 201, no. 36 (work mentioned and rejected); - J.-P. Cuzin, Fragonard, Vie et oeuvre, Fribourg, 1987, p. 263, cat. 17 ; - P. Rosenberg, Tout l'oeuvre peint de Fragonard, Paris, 1989, p. 75, no. 36. It was during the 1975 sale that our painting was separated from its counterpart La petite musicienne (whereabouts currently unknown). These two paintings belonged to a series of pastorales in the collection of Eugène Kraemer, from which also came the four famous decorative panels from the Detroit Institute of Arts (Scenes from Country Life, four canvases, 149 x 90 cm). In the 18th century, the latter series formed part the decor of the Hôtel particulier de Mortemart-Rochechouart, rue de l'Université, in the 18th century. Jean-Pierre Cuzin suggests that our painting may also have been part of this set, along with its counterpart[1]. Dated by Pierre Rosenberg circa 1754 ? 1755[2] and by Jean-Pierre Cuzin, circa 1753[3], our painting is to be situated Fragonard's youth: after winning the Premier Prix de Rome in 1752, he entered the Ecole Royale des Elèves the Ecole Royale des Elèves Protégés directed by Carle Van Loo between 1753 and 1756, an obligatory step before his stay in Italy. During this period, he maintained contact with François Boucher, who had a studio in the Louvre. Our painting bears witness to his master's influence, notably in the choice of subject matter the choice of subject, a child engaged in adult activities, while illustrating the free style and light touch of the young painter. [1] J.-P. Cuzin, Fragonard, Vie et oeuvre, Fribourg, 1987, p. 263. [2] P. Rosenberg, Tout l'uvre peint de Fragonard, Paris, 1989, p. 75. [3] J.-P. Cuzin, op.cit. LOT SOLD UNDER THE TEMPORARY IMPORT REGIME. A 5.5% FEE IS DUE IN ADDITION TO THE NORMAL FEE.