← Jean Honoré Fragonard

An Angel Bringing Food to a Hermit

Original title: An Angel Bringing Food to a Hermit

Artist

Jean Honoré Fragonard

Date

ca. 1750–56

Medium

Etching

Dimensions

Sheet: 10 1/4 × 9 1/2 in. (26 × 24.1 cm) Plate: 9 1/8 × 6 1/4 in. (23.2 × 15.8 cm) Image: 8 1/2 × 5 7/8 in. (21.6 × 14.9 cm)

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949

kurzbeschreibung

Jean Honoré Fragonard made this etching around 1750–56, when he was still in his early years. It depicts an angel handing a piece of fruit or food to a hermit seated on the ground. The biblical-looking subject belongs to his early output and is executed in etching.

Description

From the right, a winged angel with flowing robes steps into the image and stretches out a fruit or morsel to the hermit. The hermit sits on the ground, leaning back and looking toward the angel; he wears simple, possibly fur-like clothing and has long, curly hair. Trees and shrubs suggest a natural setting. The monochrome rendering uses shading and line to model light and volume. The figures' poses are animated, especially the angel's, who enters the scene dynamically.

Context

Fragonard created this etching during his early period, while training in Paris and under the influence of artists such as François Boucher. The motif of a hermit being fed by an angel recurs in Baroque and Rococo art and addresses divine providence and contemplation in solitude. The etching falls in a time when Fragonard was deeply engaged with printmaking, before he turned primarily to painting. It is part of a series of etchings he made after his own designs or after works by other artists.

Impact

The lively encounter between angel and hermit conveys emotional depth. The dynamic arrangement and delicate linework create a quiet yet animated atmosphere that draws the viewer into the scene. The monochrome execution focuses attention on gestures and lighting, producing a spiritual mood.

Technique

The etching was printed on paper; the plate measures 23.2 × 15.8 cm. Fragonard used drypoint and etching to create fine lines and shading that model the figures' forms and the texture of the setting. The sheet shows the typical linear quality of an etching, in which lines are scratched into the etched plate and then inked for printing.

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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)