Engel wijst Hagar de waterbron
1763 - 1764
Medium
etching
Dimensions
118; 87
About this artwork
collector's mark: Lugt 2760
Art Historical Context
Behold Jean Honoré Fragonard's etching *Engel wijst H de waterbron* (Angel Points Out the Well to Hagar), created around 1763–1764. This intimate work, measuring just 118 × 87 mm, captures a pivotal biblical moment from Genesis 21: Hagar, exiled with her son Ishmael in the, is guided by an angel to a life-saving spring. Fragonard, a master of French Rococo, infuses the scene with his signature lightness and grace, transforming a tale of desperation into one of divine tenderness. As an etching—a printmaking technique where acid bites into a metal plate to create fine, expressive lines— this pi...
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...