The First Riding Lesson (La première leçon d'équitation)
Jean-Honoré Fragonard
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Object Label
In this scene doting parents and a patient dog help a child learn how to ride. Their gentle instruction makes a striking contrast with the negligent and compromised behavior of the impoverished parents amid urban squalor depicted by William Hogarth in his contemporaneous Gin Lane, on view nearby.
Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s best-known works are playful scenes of lovers and happy families rendered with a lively touch. In addition to intimate paintings and large commissions for his elite clientele, he also produced many large-scale wash drawings like this one, which were considered finished works of art rather than preparatory studies for paintings.
Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s best-known works are playful scenes of lovers and happy families rendered with a lively touch. In addition to intimate paintings and large commissions for his elite clientele, he also produced many large-scale wash drawings like this one, which were considered finished works of art rather than preparatory studies for paintings.
Caption
Jean-Honoré Fragonard (French, 1732–1806). The First Riding Lesson (La première leçon d'équitation), ca. 1778. Brown ink and graphite on laid paper, 13 11/16 x 17 3/4 in. (34.8 x 45.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection, 57.189.
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Artist
Title
The First Riding Lesson (La première leçon d'équitation)
Date
ca. 1778
Geography
Place made: France
Medium
Brown ink and graphite on laid paper
Classification
Dimensions
13 11/16 x 17 3/4 in. (34.8 x 45.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection
Accession Number
57.189
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