François I Brandishing a Sword

c. 1815–30

Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard

(French, 1781–1850)

Culture

Medium

Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash with graphite underdrawing and white and yellow gouache heightening on wove paper

Measurements

Sheet: 16.9 x 12.2 cm (6 5/8 x 4 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2019.254

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard was the son of the famous painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, but developed a very different artistic style than his father.

Description

Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard developed a dramatic, narrative style of drawing that was well suited for illustration, and this sheet may have been one such design. Like many of his contemporaries, Fragonard was interested in modern history, focusing on important figures of the recent past. Here, he likely depicted the French king François I (1494–1547), a frequent subject of his work.