The Happy Mother

Rather few eighteenth-century French artists would have painted a laundry, which is evidently what we see here. The canvas dates to about 1760, toward the end of Fragonard's first trip to Italy. His impetuous technique falls between the usual stages of preparatory sketch and finished work. The surface has suffered wear and damage, but the central figure group is intact. Fragonard paints the chaotic scene with warmth and feeling. (Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Notes from the contributor:
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1946