Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Collection V.J. Fragonard, d'après une  inscription au dos du cadre : 27 Aout 1928 / Le Lot de dessins que / j'ai vendu a II' ..raft / est d'Honoré Fragonard / Vendu pour le prix / de Quatre mille franc /VJ. Fragonard / 74 B ^vard des Batignolles

Glued at all corners to a printed page, not visible to the viewer as the printed page face the verso of the sheet . Some discolorations at the margins from the old mount. Some grey stains to the top right and a long light brown stain, running down to the left side. A few light stains at the bottom margin to the right, and a small tear at the bottom margin, towards the corner. Some surface dirt. Sold in a modern gilded frame. Glué par chaque coin à une annonce publicitaire imprimée ancienne, la partie imprilmée est face au montage du dessin. Quelques décolorations le long d'un ancien montage. Quelques tâches grises en haut à droite et une longue tâche brune le long du côté gauche. Quelques petites taches claires le long du bord inférieur à droite vers l'angle. Quelques salissures de surface. Vendu dans un cadre doré moderne.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A very quick and lively sketch, executed solely in black chalk, this very interesting sheet must have been once part of a sketchbook. It is characterized by Fragonard's ability to captures in few lines the essence of a moment, and of life around him.  The artist was particularly interested in parks and villas, where he skillfully integrated human life with the grandeur of the natural world. The present sheet, like two other known drawings by Fragonard¹, one recently exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum,¹ is attached at the corners to an important document: the printed announcement for The Genius of Franklin, an etching by Fragonard and Marguerite Gérard, published in 1778, in a journal: Le Journal de Paris (n. 319). The sheet which only serves as a protective backing, must have been partly attached to these sheets, when the original album was dismantled, probably by the family, after Fragonard's death. From the provenance, the present drawing appears to have stayed with a descendant of the family, until 1928.

1.  See, Eunice Williams, in Fragonard Drawing Triumphant, exhib. cat., New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016-2017, p. 218, no. 74, reproduced p. 219