The First Riding Lesson (La première leçon d'équitation)
ca. 1778
Jean-Honoré Fragonard
French, 1732-1806
European Art
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.
- Maker/Artist
- Fragonard, Jean-Honoré
- Classification
- Drawing
- Formatted Medium
- Brown ink and graphite on laid paper
- Locations
- Place made: France
- Dimensions
- 13 11/16 x 17 3/4 in. (34.8 x 45.1 cm)
- Departments
- European Art
- Accession Number
- 57.189
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection
- Exhibitions
- The Guennol Collection: Cabinet of Wonders, Rembrandt to Picasso: Five Centuries of European Works on Paper
- Rights Statement
- No known copyright restrictions
- Museum Location
- This item is not on view
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