Jean-Honoré Fragonard
(France 1732–1806)
- Title
- Rinaldo in the gardens of Armida
- Year
- 1761-1764
- Media category
- Drawing
- Materials used
- brush and brown ink over black chalk underdrawing
- Dimensions
-
35.5 x 46.3cm sheet; 65.0 x 74.6 x 3.5cm frame
- Signature & date
- Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Gift of James Fairfax AO 1993
- Accession number
- 485.1993
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
Fragonard spent almost six years in Italy and this drawing takes as its subject an episode from the Italian writer Tasso's epic 'Jerusalem delivered'. Having fallen in love with the Christian warrior Rinaldo, Armida entices him into her enchanted garden to prevent him returning to the war. Lully's opera 'Armide' was performed in Paris in 1761, and this perhaps partly inspired Fragonard. It is not certain whether this drawing - and its pendant 'Rinaldo in the enchanted forest' - were done before or after the two oil paintings of the same composition. This wash drawing gives the effect of a painting. Fragonard was the typical Rococo painter of lighthearted and gallant subjects during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI. The French Revolution put an end to his patrons and Fragonard died almost forgotten.
- Bibliography (13)
-
Richard Beresford (England; Australia) (Author), Peter Raissis (Australia) (Author), The James Fairfax collection of old master paintings, drawings and prints, Domain, 2003, 7 (colour illus.), 84-87, 85 (colour illus.). cat.no. 22, illustration on page 7 is a detail
Renée Free (Australia) (Author), Forest and field: from Claude to the Barbizon School, Domain, 1995, 3, 6.
Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874) (Author), Great gifts, great patrons: an exhibition celebrating private patronage of the Gallery, Sydney, 1994. no catalogue numbers
Ewen McDonald (Australia) (Editor), The Art Gallery of New South Wales collections, Sydney, 1994, 123 (colour illus.).
'Chronique des Arts' suppliment, Gazette des Beaux-Arts Mar 1994, Mar 1994, 34 (illus.). no. 145
Art Gallery of New South Wales Annual Report 1994 1994, 1994, 44.
Art Gallery of New South Wales (Australia, estab. 1874) (Author), The James Fairfax collection of old masters, Domain, 1992. no catalogue numbers
Jean-Pierre Cuzin, Jean-Honore´ Fragonard: life and work: complete catalogue of the oil paintings, New York, 1988, 252. note 6
Pierre Rosenberg (Author), Fragonard, Paris, 1987, 159-160, 160 (illus.). figure 1, as whereabouts unknown
Denys Sutton (England, b.1917, d.1991), Fragonard, 1980. under no. 37
'Drawings by J.H. Fragonard for "Jerusalem Delivered"' by A. Ananoff, pg.12-16, The Connoisseur Jan 1968, Jan 1968, 13 (illus.). figure 4
Alexandre Ananoff, L'oeuvre dessine´ de Jean-Honore´ Fragonard (1732-1806), Paris, 1961-1970, vol.3, 1968. cat.no. 1702, fig. 435
Galerie Georges Petit (France), Chardin et Fragonard, Paris, 1907, 12. cat.no. 162
- Exhibition history (6)
-
Chardin et Fragonard, Galerie Georges Petit, 1907–1907.
The James Fairfax collection of old masters, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 25 Apr 1992–14 Jun 1992.
Great gifts, great patrons, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 17 Aug 1994–19 Oct 1994.
Forest and field: from Claude to the Barbizon School, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 14 Jul 1995–17 Sep 1995.
The James Fairfax collection of old master paintings, drawings and prints, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 17 Apr 2003–20 Jul 2003.
Old Europe: Prints & drawings from the collection 1500-1800, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 03 Jun 2006–06 Aug 2006.
