Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806), The Oval Fountain in the Gardens of the Villa d'Este, Tivoli
Trois Crayons Magazine, March 2026
Michiel D. van Limborch (c. 1615–1675), Portrait of a Girl, c. 1650/60, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne
Detail: infrared reflectogram of the signature
Sarah Catala, curator of Hubert Robert & Fragonard. A Feeling for Nature at the Musée de Valence, has kindly chosen our drawing of the month.
The Oval Fountain in the Gardens of the Villa d'Este, Tivoli, 1760
Red chalk and graphite on laid paper, 327 x 451 mm, The National Gallery of Art, Washington, Inv. 1990.129.1. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Neil Phillips and Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Phillips, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
The remarkable proximity of Fragonard and Hubert Robert’s drawing styles during their years in Rome, around 1760, long fostered confusion in the attribution of certain drawings. Thus, a sheet preserved at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, has for more than forty years been described as a copy executed by Robert in Italy, around 1760–1761, in imitation of Fragonard and after a painting that the latter is said to have produced in France… after 1761. This analysis, however, cannot withstand consideration of the exchanges that united the two artists, grounded in emulation rather than imitation, nor the material examination of the works, still less their chronology.
The Washington drawing must be given to Fragonard. It bears his signature technique: the sheet folded at its centre, the composition first sketched in graphite, followed by the free sweep of red chalk that overlays and animates the composition. To these material indicators may be added the graduated structuring of the composition, the poetry of light, and above all the emergence of the feminine at the heart of nature. The exhibition Hubert Robert & Fragonard. A Feeling for Nature, which will open at the Musée de Valence in France from 7 March to 21 June 2026, will reunite for the first time the drawing and the corresponding painting. What I set down here in a few lines, and what each visitor may look at for perhaps two minutes, is the result of a long process. I had to dare to think against the authorities that I admired.
I studied the red chalk and graphite on several occasions in Washington, scrutinising each line of the drawing, reading every page of the file, and enquiring into the belief of the donor, who was convinced he possessed a Fragonard. One decisive detail guided me: the preparatory graphite underdrawing, visible beneath the red chalk. Robert never employed this method. I returned to examine Fragonard’s major red chalk drawings in Besançon: all reveal this carbon-based preparation. I sought the assistance of colleagues to obtain infrared images capable of confirming its presence. To clarify my intuitions, I first set out my initial conclusions in the catalogue of the Fragonard exhibition at Galerie Coatalem in 2022. The responses were largely enthusiastic, with the exception of one sceptical voice, which prompted me to pursue the matter further.
I then wrote an article intended for Master Drawings, which I submitted to Perrin Stein, Eunice Williams and Meg Grasselli for careful review. I am deeply grateful for their encouragement, as their comments opened up new lines of thought. Lastly, as a researcher trained within the university tradition, I wished to present an expanded version of my research at a conference, the proceedings of which will be published shortly (Landscape drawing in the making: materiality–practice–experience, 1500–1800). All this took place in 2024, when the Valence exhibition project was already under way.
Three months ago, for budgetary reasons, few loans had to be reconsidered, and the museum’s management turned its attention to the American works. I succeeded in convincing the team that the Washington drawing alone embodies the collective effort required for the advancement of knowledge: that of scholars, curators and conservators. It also testifies to the ability of a modestly sized French museum to champion research and to present exceptional artworks to its public. In Valence, the museum’s visitors’ book repeatedly expresses disappointment at no longer seeing on permanent display the red chalk drawings by Robert that have made the institution’s reputation. For this exhibition, we shall present some of those celebrated sheets alongside Fragonard’s finest red chalk drawings (with graphite underdrawing!). For the museum, this represents a responsibility; for me, a great honour, mixed with joy.
Hubert Robert & Fragonard. A Feeling for Nature at the Musée de Valence is open from 7 March 2026 – 21 June 2026.
