Don Quixote Attacking the Biscayan
Medium
brush with brown and gray washes over charcoal on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 41.4 x 28.7 cm (16 5/16 x 11 5/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Gertrude Laughlin Chanler
Accession Number
2000.9.8
Art Historical Context
In the spirited drawing *Don Quixote Att the Biscayan*, Jeanonoré Fragonard a dynamic moment from Miguel de Cervantes' iconic novel *Don Quix*. Created in the 1780s, this work depicts the delusional knight-errant charging at his imagined foe, the Biscayan, embodying the novel's blend of comedy, chivalry, and chaos. Fragonard, a master of French Rococo art, infused his scenes with playful energy and theatrical flair, often drawing from literature to explore human folly and romance. Though best known for his lush oil paintings like *The Swing*, his drawings reveal a freer, more spontaneous side ...
About the Artist
Jean-Honoré Fragonard · 1732–1806
Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. Born in Grasse, he moved to Paris where he trained under Jean-Baptiste Chardin and François Boucher, winning the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1752. After studying in Italy alongside Hubert Robert, Fragonard returned to Paris in 1761 to fi...