L'Heureuse Fecondite
Medium
Etching, second state
Dimensions
sheet: 15 1/2 x 21 1/4 in. (39.3 x 54 cm) image: 10 9/16 x 12 in. (26.9 x 30.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Roland L. Redmond Gift, Louis V. Bell and Rogers Funds, 1972
Accession Number
1972.539.15
Tags
Art Historical Context
**L'Heureuse Fecondite (The Happy Fecund)** Created by the celebrated Rococo master Jean Honoré Fragon and engraved by Nicolas de Launay this undated etching captures the exuberant spirit of 18th-century decorative arts. Fragonard, known for his playful, sensual scenes filled with swirling forms and lush details, designed the composition, while Launay's skilled etching brought it to life in its second state—a refined edition with enhanced lines and tonal depth. Measuring about 10½ by 12 inches in the image area, the print exemplifies how Rococo artists used printmaking to share intimate, ar...
About the Artist
Jean Honoré Fragonard|Nicolas de Launay · 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...