Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Hippolyte Walferdin, Paris,
by whose Estate sold, Paris Hôtel Drouot, 12-16 April 1880, lot 170;
Henri Porgès,
his sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 9 May 1885, lot 48;
Déglise Collection, by 1889;
Camille Groult (1837-1908), Paris,
by descent to his son Jean Groult (1868-1951),
and to his grandson, Pierre Bordeaux-Groult (1916-2007),
from whom acquired by the present owner in 1984

R. Portalis, Honoré Fragonard, Paris 1889, p. 307;
A. Ananoff, 'Trois dessins inédits de Fragonard', Connaissance des Arts, no. 66, August 1957, reproduced p. 46;
A. Ananoff, L'Oeuvre dessiné de Jean-Honoré Fragonard, vol. I, Paris 1961, p. 48, no. 45, reproduced fig. 22;
P. Rosenberg, Fragonard, exhib. cat., Paris, Grand Palais, and New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987-88, p. Paris 1987, p. 540, under no. 279, reproduced fig. 1

Laid down. Overall in good condition. Sheet relatively free from staining - a few very faint yellow/brown stains in the upper section of the sheet, barely visible. Medium fresh and composition lively with strong black chalk underdrawing. Sold in carved and gilded frame.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This late drawing by Fragonard, probably dating from around 1780, encapsulates all of the artist's mature brilliance of technique, mastery of atmosphere, and narrative genius.  The deceptively simple composition shows an extremely elegant young woman reading to three children, who listen with varying degrees of attention, while a man looks on with evident interest from an elevated window.  With consummate lightness of touch, Fragonard has captured the personalities of all these figures, and conveys exactly what was on their minds at that moment - all rendered with the most brilliant, flickering touches of wash and rapid chalk lines. 

The composition is a variant of the left side of a larger drawing, in a New York private collection¹, which incorporates a woman stirring a large cooking pot and other figures to the right, but does not include the man looking out of the window, who is so central to the witty narrative of the present work.

¹ Rosenberg, loc. cit., no. 279