Sketch of "The Bread Oven at the Château de Nègrepelisse"
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Near his château, Fragonard’s patron Bergeret operated large communal ovens where local women could bring their bread dough to be baked. The crowded, aromatic spectacle must have appealed to the artist. Before a roaring fire, bakers wield paddles, women carry loaves, and others sit or stand, waiting their turn. Fragonard first produced this loose sketch of the scene, in which he established the interior proportions of the vast hall and the placement of the figural groups. He then executed a larger, final version with details articulated with pen and brown ink; the date is inscribed on one of the ceiling beams.
Artwork Details
- Title: Sketch of "The Bread Oven at the Château de Nègrepelisse"
- Artist: Jean Honoré Fragonard (French, Grasse 1732–1806 Paris)
- Date: 1773
- Medium: Brush and brown wash over black chalk on tan paper
- Dimensions: 7 1/4 × 8 7/8 in. (18.4 × 22.5 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Private collection
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints