FRAGONARD, Jean-Honoré
(b. 1732, Grasse, d. 1806, Paris)

Abbé de Saint-Non (Fanciful Figure)

1769
Oil on canvas, 80 x 65 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

In 1769, Fragonard painted fourteen "fanciful figures" eight of which are now in the Louvre. These spirited portraits, whether painted from life or invented, with highly coloured faces and broad strokes of red and gold, represent the vision of an inspired poet capturing the essence of his subject.

Abbé de Saint-Non was Fragonard's rich patron, who pushed him toward the Academy.




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