Alexandre-Evariste FRAGONARD (Grasse- 1780 - Paris- 1850) - Lot 47

Alexandre-Evariste FRAGONARD (Grasse- 1780 - Paris- 1850) Man burning a letter in a fireplace Oil on canvas (lined) Signed lower right: Fragonard. 55.3 x 45.6 cm Bibliography : Rébecca Duffeix, Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard, Paris 2022, P63, pp.204-205. Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), master of French rococo, excelled in gallant and intimate scenes. His son Alexandre Evariste, the author of our painting, seems here to be continuing a story told in one of his father's paintings. In "La Lettre d'amour" (circa 1770, Metropolitan Museum), Jean-Honoré paints an elegant young woman reading a missive, surrounded by flowers. Here, Alexandre -Evaliste burns this letter, evoking the end of an affair, or the jealousy of the man in front of the fireplace - a theme dear to the two great Fragonards.