- An in-depth study of Fragonard's series of paintings The Progress of Love, one of the masterpieces of French 18th-century art
- A new understanding of the original sequence in which they appeared, the order in which Fragonard intended them to be seen - first in Louveciennes, then in Grasse - and the meaning he assigned to each of them
- Tells the enthralling story of how the paintings were rediscovered in the late 19th century and how they eventually came to The Frick Collection
This richly illustrated volume reveals the intriguing story behind the commission, rejection, and rehousing of Jean- Honoré Fragonard's Progress of Love, a series of 14 paintings considered by many to be the artist's masterpiece. Fragonard (1732-1806) completed four large canvases for the comtesse du Barry's pavilion at Louveciennes, but they were replaced and returned to the artist. In 1790 Fragonard moved them to his cousin's house in Grasse, and over the course of the year painted two further large-scale works and 10 additional panels.
With 140 colour images of the Fragonard paintings, details, shots of the room, plans, original sketches, and other comparative images, author Colin Bailey explores the commission of the four main panels, their original arrangement at Louveciennes and the possible reasons for their rejection. Equally enthralling is the history of how the paintings were rediscovered in the late 19th century and how they eventually came to The Frick Collection.
Contents:
Fragonard and Decoration: Projects for the Crown; Projects for Private Patrons
Ledoux, Du Barry, and Louveciennes
A Site-Specific Series
Allegory, Symbolism, Meaning
Rejection and Replacement
The Fragonards in Grasse: Rediscovery, Publication, Export
Fragonard's Progress of Love at 13 Princes Gate
Morgan's Fragonards at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Constructing and Furnishing Frick's Drawing Room at 1 East 70th Street
Frick, Duveen, and Belle da Costa Greene: Brokering the Morgan Collection
Creating the Fragonard Room at 1 East 70th Street
Colin B. Bailey is Associate Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator at The Frick Collection, New York. Recent publications include Watteau to Degas: French Drawings from the Frits Lugt Collection (2009); Gabriel de Saint-Aubin (1724-1780) (2007); and The Age of Watteau, Chardin and Fragonard: Masterpieces of 18th-century French Genre Painting (2003).
