Description
In the course of his long career, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings. In this particular painting, the seventeenth-century costume, the brown palette, and his technique suggest that Fragonard is reflecting upon the work of Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt rather than his teacher François Boucher. While there is considerable evidence that the sitter is Alexander Evariste Fragonard, the artist's son, this identity has never been confirmed.
Provenance
Hippolyte Walferdin [1795-1880], Paris, France (By 1860-1880); (Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, France, Walferdin sale, April 12-14, 1880, no. 4) (April 12-14, 1880); Comte Cahen d’Anvers, probably Edouard [1832-1894] (1880-); Nicolas Ambatielos [1885-1956], London, England; (Wildenstein & Co., New York, NY) (1905-1920); Grace Rainey Rogers [1867-1943], New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art (-1942); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (1942-)
Accession Number
1942.49
Medium
oil on wood
Dimensions
Framed: 36 x 27 x 3.5 cm (14 3/16 x 10 5/8 x 1 3/8 in.); Unframed: 20.8 x 16 cm (8 3/16 x 6 5/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of Grace Rainey Rogers in memory of her father, William J. Rainey