FRAGONARD, Jean Honore, French artist: b. Grasse 1732; d. Paris 1806. He was the son of a glover and was destined for a notary's career in Paris, but at 18 his artistic talent was so marked that Boucher suggested technical study with Chardih, later taking him into his own studio to make reproductions from his original paintings. Fragonard won the °Prix de Rome° in 1752 with a painting of now in Grasse cathedral; and then from 1755-59 availing himself of his prize opportu nity for residence and study at the French Academy in Rome under Natoire, his succes sive masters broadening the scope of his tech nic. With the abbe of Saint Non he spent a summer vacation at the Villa d'Este, and Fra gonard's studies of the beautifully laid out grounds with their art decorations of terraces, temples, grottoes and foundations, were en graved by the abbe for his descriptive works. They laid the foundation of that style of painting which has made Fragonard famous. Before returning to Paris in 1761 he went to Venice where he was greatly im pressed by the works of Tiepolo. His
et Callirhoe,) eulogized by Diderot, bought by the king, and reproduced by the Gobelins tap estry works gained his admission to the Acad emy in 1765. Abandoning religious and classical topics, henceforth Fragonard, a joyous spirit and social favorite, devoted himself to those suggestive pictures of high life which de pict the pleasure, sentiment, passion and licen tiousness of the court of Louis XV in that period of luxury, extravagance and profligacy which culminated in the French Revolution. Their worth is due to the beauty of their setting, their refined technic and delicate coloring. During the Revolution, Fragonard sought refuge with his friend Maubert at Grasse, whose house he decorated with the (Romance of love and youth), a series of panels originally in tended for the villa of Madame du Barry at Louveciennes They were sold by M.
Maubert's heirs in 1898 for $250,000; they were bought by Pierpont Morgan in 1914 and exhibited in New York; in 1915 they became the property of H. C. Frick. Other fine speci mens of Fragonard's works are owned by the Rothschild family of London and Paris, notably the small
Dow() canvas bought in Paris in 1905 for $95,000 which gives an idea of the present worth of
In the Wal lace Collection, London, are
Fountain of Love,' (The Stolen Chemise) ; (The Sleeping Bacchante);
Shepherd's Hour,' and (Inspiration' ; other works, 'Ser ment d'amour> (Pledge of Love) •
Verrou) (The Bolt) ;
CulbutO (The Tumble) ; etc., are in different museums throughout France. One of the best known by reproduction (The Swing,' and (Blind Man's Buff,' are in the Groult Collection, Paris. In 1769 he married Marie Anne Gerard, his pupil, a talented minia ture painter of Grasse, his own native town, and his happy union resulted in beautiful sub jects of domestic life,
Happy Mother,'
Cradle,' etc. After the Revolution he returned to Paris where he died in neglect and oblivion, appreciation of his work reviving 80 years after his death. Consult the biographies by De Nolhac (Paris 1906) ; and by Portalis (Paris 1883) ; also De Goncourt,
du XVIIIe siècle' (Paris 1874) ; Josz (Fragon ard-meeurs du XVIIIe siecle' (Paris 1901).