Lot 1302 Dα

Jean-Honoré Fragonard presumably painted the present landscape during the 1760s, possibly whilst he was in Italy or shortly after his return to Paris. The motif and composition of the work follow the traditional tropes of the “Southern Landscape with Shepherds” subject introduced primarily by the Netherlandish painters of the 17th century, such as Nicolaes Berchem and Jan Both. The motif was later adopted in Italy and popularised by Castiglione.
The present work depicts an idyllic backlit landscape with a family of shepherds leading their cattle, donkey, and herd of sheep up a hill on the left towards the shadow of a knarred old tree. On the right we see a peaceful river valley. This early piece is characterised by a skilful use of light and stark contrasts which betray nothing of the sweetness of the Parisian Rococo.

After completing his apprenticeship under Charles Natoire at the Academie Française in Rome, Fragonard returned to Paris in 1761. When he left the French capital for Italy in 1756, Fragonard was a promising student, but when he returned five years later he was an accomplished painter. His first success in Paris was “The Garden of the Villa d'Este”. Following this work's presentation at the Salon, the commissions came pouring in. His patrons included the great collector Joseph-François Varanchan de St. Geniès, who purchased many works by Fragonard alongside those of Boucher, Deshayes, and Baudouin.

This pastoral idyll motif was especially popular among aristocratic patrons well into the 18th century, but Fragonard's palette and style of painting changed throughout his life. The works “Le Retour du Troupeau” and “Annette et Lubin” in the Worcester Art Museum are highly comparable to this work.