JEAN-HONORÉ FRAGONARD (1732 Grasse - 1806 Paris)

"Young Woman and a Herdsman Leading their Herds"
Oil on Panel
15 x 18 inches (39.4 x 47.6 cm)

This only recently rediscovered painting is one of a group of pictures by Fragonard which clearly reveal the distinct and direct influence of the great Dutch landscape painters of the previous century, - particularly Jacob von Ruisdael. Since the early 18th century, Dutch cabinet pieces were in increased demand among French collectors, as their small scale was far more compatible to the more intimate interiors favored by even the wealthiest patrons. Thus eminent art dealers such as Gersaint traveled to Holland in search of paintings to satisfy the demands of the ever expanding French market. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that Fragonard tried his hand at compositions in this taste. The genre allowed the artist to exercise his considerable genius for drawing and composition, light and color, while measuring his prowess with the masters of the Dutch Golden Age. It has even been suggested that Fragonard may have painted specific pictures to act as pendants to Dutch paintings already in French collections (see Bailey, 'Conventions of the Eighteenth Century Cabinet de Tableaux', Art Bulletin, September 1987, p.431 passim).

Several works by Fragonard rendered in the Dutch manner are recorded in inventories of the 18th century. In fact, the present panel would appear to match the description of a picture in the collection of M. Dubois, a silversmith and jeweler, sold in March of 1784.

That painting was described as: "Un jolie tableau, paysage á la gauche duquel se voyent une rivière et des loitains; le devant offre une jeune femme portant un paquet sur sa téte, et accompagnée d'un petit garcon: ils passent sous des arbres près d'un pâtre qui est monté sur un âne. Lépaisseur du feuillage des arbres répand sur eux, ainsi que deux boefs et une génisse, une demi-teinte qui produit un effet piquant et neuf dans ce charmant morceau, qui doit être mis au rang des meilleurs ouvrages de ce célèbre artist. Hauteur 14 pouces, largeur 16 pouces 8 lignes. T(oile)

Translation: A pretty picture, landscape at the left of which one sees a river and a distant horizon; in front a young woman carrying a bundle on her head, and accompanied by a boy: they pass under the trees near a herdsman who is mounted on an ass. The density of the foliage of the trees spreads above them, and also on the two oxen and a heifer, a pentimenti that produces a piquant and novel effect in this charming piece which must be placed on a par with the best works of this famous artist. Height 14 pouces, width 16 pouces 8 lignes. C(anvas).

Despite the fact that there are discrepancies in the description (i.e. the river is at left instead of right and the canvas support), this work is without doubt identical with the Dubois picture; the size of the painting matches almost exactly.