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Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806)
France, c. 1770
Oil on canvas
71 x 90 cm
Inv. no. 436
The real subject of this painting has yet to be discovered, although several different hypotheses (unconfirmed by documentary evidence) have been put forward.
It may show a celebration organised by the Duke of Penthièvre during one of the royal family’s frequent visits to the Rambouillet park. However, it may equally show the festivities arranged by the Prince of Condé at Chantilly, in honour of the Grand Duke, heir to the Russian throne. It may even show the park at Cassan, owned by Bergeret de Grancourt, whom the painter visited in Italy from 1773-74. However, it is now believed that the composition sprang fundamentally from the artist’s imagination.
Set in a dramatically large, expansive and theatrical scene, the transformed landscape assumes its position as the genuine theme, reducing the presence of the aristocracy at play to a secondary role.
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