Fragonard in Naples: Two Rediscovered Drawings

Discusses the provenance of two drawings "A fisherman pulling a net" (1774) and "A fisherman leaning on an oar" (1774) by the French artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard following their acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2006. The author states that the drawings were acquired by the collector François Hippolyte Walferdin (1795-1880), notes the Walferdin collection was dispersed at auction following the collector's death, and reports their subsequent acquisition by Baron Hottinguer and the continuing ownership by the family from 1880 to 2006. He traces the execution of the drawings to Naples between 15th April and 12th June 1774 on the basis of their style and subject matter, notes that Fragonard was at this time accompanying the art patron Jacques Onésyme Bergeret de Grancourt (1715-85) on his tour of Europe, and explores evidence from Bergeret's journal to support the supposition that the drawings represent fishermen drawn from life in the tradition of generalised types. He discusses the ensuing feud and lawsuit between Fragonard and his patron regarding the ownership of the drawings, highlights their subsequent sale, and concludes by tracing evidence to support their acquisition to the French collector Xavier Atget (1758-1833) through an examination of his annotated inscriptions on the drawings.