THE FOUNTAIN OF LOVE, AFTER JEAN-HONORE FRAGONARD (1732-1806)

A biscuit porcelain group depicting "The Fountain of Love," after the famous painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), an artist whose work was considered in the 18th century to represent the decadence and corruption of the Ancien Régime. After his death in 1806, the painter was almost forgotten. Fifty years later, he regained popularity and his paintings were once again being sold. In the 1850s, the Goncourt brothers described the painting in glowing terms: "It is still night, a stormy night of mystery hanging heavy over dark trees and richly scented groves. Two lovers crowned with roses rush forward. The wind whips the woman's throat and pushes her tunic back. They lean on the edge of the basin, the fountain of love, and approach like starving men, thirst and desire on their lips, under the watchful eyes of several cupids. This painting is brilliant because Fragonard captures the sense of passion, the urgency of desire, creating a subtle allegory of sexual longing." Our biscuit porcelain piece is a faithful interpretation of the painter's work, with the two lovers shown in profile, running towards the fountain of love inhabited by three putti, one of whom offers them the cup containing the joy of their fulfillment. Roses are scattered at their feet. As with Fragonard's painting, the biscuit porcelain exudes a powerful eroticism. The scene is reversed compared to the original, most likely because it was based on a contemporary engraving. Indeed, the painting was frequently reproduced as an engraving around the mid-19th century. Fragonard's original painting is held at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Napoleon III period, circa 1850. Dimensions: W: 17cm, D: 24cm, H: 25cm.