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| Artist | Jean-Honoré Fragonard |
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| Year | ca. 1767 |
| Type | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 81 cm × 64.2 cm (31 ⅞ in × 25 ¼ in) |
| Location | Wallace Collection, London, United Kingdom |
The Swing (French: L'Escarpolette), also known as The Happy Accidents of the Swing (French: Les Hasards Heureux de l'Escarpolette, the original title), is an 18th century oil painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. It is considered as one of the masterpieces of the rococo era.
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The painting
The painting depicts a young man hidden in the bushes, watching a woman on a swing, being pushed by a bishop. As the lady goes high on the swing, she lets him take a furtive peep under her dress. As a symbol of the loss of virginity, the lady has let one of her shoes fly into the air. Although women wore bodices and the like during this time period, they did not use underwear which insinuates that the man had a clear look at her genitalia. Also of note is how his left arm is erect, which is also meant to represent an erect penis but in a much more subtle way.
According to Charles Collé's memoirs[1], a young nobleman[2] asked first Gabriel François Doyen to make this painting of him and his mistress. Not comfortable with this frivolous work, Doyen refused and passed on the commission to Fragonard.[1]
Replicas
According to some sources, Fragonard has made several versions of this painting, albeit not quite identical:
- A smaller version (56 × 46 cm) was given by the Grimaldi & Labeyrie Collection to the city of Versailles, where it is currently exhibited at Musée Lambinet[3]
- Virgile Josz, in his book "Fragonard: mœurs du XVIIIe siècle" (1901), mentions three replicas:
- the original, formerly owned by baron Bollioud de Saint-Julien, was sold at his death, in 1788, to the Duke of Morny.[4] It was later purchased by Sir Richard Wallace in 1865[5] and it is now part of the Wallace Collection.
- one owned by Edmond James de Rothschild[4], slightly different from the original[5], has a known peculiarity: the lady's dress is blue, not pink[6]
- a smaller version owned by Duc Jules de Polignac (1746–1817, husband of Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchesse de Polignac)[4]
Notable derived works
- 1782: Les Hazards [sic] Heureux de l'Escarpolettes [sic], etching and engraving by Nicolas de Launay (1739–1792), 62.3 × 45.5 cm (24 ⅝ × 17 ⅞ in)[7]
- 1972: Sailin' Shoes, cover art of record album by American rock band Little Feat, artwork by Neon Park
- 1999: "CONTACT", first act, "a dance play", Director & Choreographer Susan Stroman; 2000 Tony Award: Best Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Boyd Gaines), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Karen Ziemba), Best Choreography; 2000 Drama Desk Award: Outstanding New Musical, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Lighting Design
- 2001: The Swing (after Fragonard), a headless lifesize recreation of Fragonard's model clothed in African fabric, by Yinka Shonibare[8]
References
- Farber, Allen (2006-04-05). "Fragonard's The Happy Accidents of the Swing". State University of New York at Oneonta. http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/ARTH/ARTH200/gender/fragonard_swing.html. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- Notes
- ^ a b Collé, Charles. Journal et mémoires de Charles Collé sur les hommes de lettres, les ouvrages dramatiques et les événements les plus mémorables du règne de Louis XV (1748-1772). III. Paris: Firmin Didot Frères, Fils et Cie. pp. 165–166. http://books.google.com/books?id=9ZBcAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA165.
- ^ Although his identity was not unveiled by Collé, it is generally admitted that it was Marie-François-David Bollioud de Saint-Julien, baron of Argental (1713–1788), best known as Baron de Saint-Julien, the then Receiver General of the French Clergy (hence the clergyman pushing the swing). De Saint-Julien, a friend of Voltaire, was the first owner of the painting, as mentioned in Virgile Josz's book Fragonard: mœurs du XVIIIe siècle" (1901).
- ^ "L'escarpolette". Catalogue des Collections des Musées de France. Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication. http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/joconde_fr?ACTION=CHERCHER&FIELD_1=REF&VALUE_1=04000001112. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- ^ a b c Wallace Collection (1908). Catalogue of the Oil Paintings and Water Colours in the Wallace Collection. http://books.google.com/books?id=PEwEAAAAYAAJ. "From the collections of Baron de St. Julien (1788) and the Duc de Morny (1865). A repetition of by no means equal merit is in the collection of Baron Edmond de Rothschild ; a smaller version was in that of the Duc de Polignac (see Virgile Josz: Fragonard)."
- ^ a b Nevill, Ralph; Jerningham, Charles Edward (1908). Piccadilly to Pall Mall: Manners, Morals, and Man. Duckworth & co.. p. 248. http://books.google.com/books?id=QUwuAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA248. "The Hasards Heureux de l'Escarpolette, which at Hertford House is called the swing, was formerly in the possession of the Duc de Morny. At his sale, in 1865, Lord Hertford secured it for 30,200 francs. (...) A replica of this painting, slightly different in detail, belongs to Baron Edmond de Rothschild."
- ^ Bremmer, Jan (1991). From Sappho to De Sade: Moments in the History of Sexuality. Routledge. pp. 80–81. ISBN 978-0-4150-6300-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=XAAOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA80. "Note 4: According to Nevill (1903), a replica with a blue instead of a pink dress is in the possession of Baron de Rothschild."
- ^ "Les hazards heureux de l'escarpolettes". Antique Reprints. http://www.antiquereprints.com/collections/182/Les_hazards_heureux_de_lescarpolettes_182402.html. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- ^ "Turner Prize 2004 — Yinka Shonibare". Tate Modern. http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/turnerprize/2004/shonibare2.shtm. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
External links
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