Artwork Page for The Cupboard

Details / Information for The Cupboard

The Cupboard

1778

Jean-Honoré Fragonard

(French, 1732–1806)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
etching
Measurements
Sheet: 39.1 x 52.3 cm (15 3/8 x 20 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Edwin R. and Harriet Pelton Perkins Memorial Fund 1994.196
Catalogue raisonné
Wildenstein 23 ; Baudicour 2
State
W. I/IV ; B. I/III
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Fragonard designed this popular etching to delight his viewers, who spy on the dramatic scene like the eavesdropping servants in the background. A maiden weeps as her boyfriend, caught hiding in a wardrobe, sheepishly faces the girl’s angry parents. Rumpled bed sheets and the position of the hat give away the passionate activities of the young lovers. Comically, the hat with a broad ribbon held by the boy belongs to his girlfriend. His plain hat with a buttoned-up brim hangs in the cupboard.
A horizontally oriented etching depicts a dramatic room where a weeping woman with light skin tone stands at left. Beside her, a man with light skin tone is discovered hiding inside an open wooden armoire. From our right, an older man with light skin tone lunges forward brandishing a cane, while an older woman pulls his arm. In the background, two figures peer from heavy curtains as a small dog scurries in the foreground.

The Cupboard

1778

Jean-Honoré Fragonard

(French, 1732–1806)
France, 18th century

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