Hermit Saint in the Desert
1752/56
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 21.6 × 14.7 cm (8 9/16 × 5 13/16 in.); Plate: 23 × 15.7 cm (9 1/16 × 6 3/16 in.); Sheet: 25.4 × 25.7 cm (10 × 10 1/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
61008
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The sole Boucher composition to be etched by Fragonard, this work is known to survive in only seven proofs. Possibly depicting St. Onuphrius of Egypt, a hermit who lived around 400 A.D., Boucher's original drawing is now in the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Since Fragonard made most of his twenty-four etchings during his voyages in Italy (1756-61 and 1773-74), this work is unusual for its early date and French inspiration.
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...