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L’Armoire (2nd State), 1778
The Closet
Etching
409 x 525 mm.; 16 1/8 x 20 3/4 inches
References:
Baudicour 2
Wildenstein 23-II/V
Carlson/Ittmann Regency to Empire: French Printmaking 1715-1814, no. 76, reproduced on p 229
Notes:
A rare impression of the second state (of five) of this work, before the address of Naudet. This is the largest and most complex of all of Fragonard’s graphic works.
Victor Carlson (see ref. above, p. 227) has described the subject of this etching:
The subject Fragonard chose is an interrupted tryst. A shamefaced lover, his eyes downcast, emerges from a cupboard where he has taken refuge after his broken assignation. The girl’s parents (or guardians) have flung open the door, confronting him with gestures of violent accusation, while their daughter (or charge) stands in tears at left…
