The Beloved Child, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, c. 1780-1785
Jean-Honoré Fragonard, ritrattoJean-Honoré FragonardFrancia, 1732–1806

The Beloved Child

c. 1780-1785 · Painting

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Dove si trova «The Beloved Child» oggi? Harvard Art Museums, Gallery 2220, floor 2, European and American Art, 17th–19th century, Cambridge. Sì, esposta ora. Verificato 29 settembre 2026.

Harvard Art Museums

Cambridge, Stati Uniti

Sala2220, floor 2, European and American Art, 17th–19th century

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The First Steps and The Beloved Child date from a period of close collaboration between Fragonard and Marguerite Gérard, his pupil and sister-in-law. The tightness of the foliage and the figures, as well as the compositional structure, suggests Fragonard’s academic training, which is further evident in his drawing for The First Steps, also in the Harvard Art Museums’ collections. However, the sumptuous rendering of the fabrics and the refined brushwork of the mothers’ faces reveal the hand of his pupil, who emerged as a master in her own right by 1790. Both paintings celebrate the joys of maternity, a theme explored in the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. During the French Revolution, motherhood was linked to the ideals of social regeneration, and in 1792 a reproductive print of The First Steps was dedicated to “good Mothers.”

Harvard Art Museums

Scheda

Numero di inventario
1961.165

In catalogo

Fonti

  • Harvard Art Museums
  • Immagine: Harvard Art Museums — © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Nella vita di Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Tutta la vita
  1. 1778

    Marguerite Gérard — pupil and assistant

    Fourteen-year-old Marguerite Gérard, his wife's sister, became his pupil and assistant.

  2. 1780

    Birth of his son Alexandre-Évariste

    His son Alexandre-Évariste was born, who later became a talented painter, sculptor and lithographer.

  3. 26 ottobre 1780

    Son born: Alexandre-Évariste Fragonard

Tutte le opere

Nella stessa sala · Gallery 2220, floor 2, European and American Art, 17th–19th century, Harvard Art Museums

Pagina del museo