Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s etching, “The Circumcision”, c1764, after Tintoretto

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (aka Jean-Honoré Nicolas Fragonard) (1732–1806)

“The Circumcision” (aka “La Circoncision”), c1764, first state lifetime impression (before numbering as plate "16") from a series of sixteen etchings executed in Paris, c1763–64. This etching is after Jacopo Tintoretto’s (aka Jacopo Robusti) (1519–1594) painting in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. The Metropolitan Museum offers the following insight about the composition: “Fragonard focused on the central scene, reducing the number of figures, suggesting a more intimate space” (see https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/399390).

Etching on laid paper trimmed along the platemark with a small margin around the image borderline.

Size: (sheet) 10 x 13.8 cm; (plate) 9.5 x 13.9 cm; (image borderline) 10.8 x 12.8 cm.

Inscribed in plate: (lower left, on step) “frago”.

State i (of ii) a lifetime impression before the addition of the plate number.

Wildenstein XXII. I (Georges Wildenstein 1956, “Fragonard Acquafortiste. Études et documents pour servir à l'histoire de l'art français du dix-huitième siècle”, Paris, p. 31, cat. no. XXII [1]); Baudicour 11 (Prosper de Baudicour 1859, “Le Peintre-Graveur Français continué, ou Catalogue raisonné des estampes gravées par les peintres et les dessinateurs de l'école fran̨caise nés dans le XVIIIe siècle, ouvrage faisant suite au Peintre-graveur français de M. Robert-Dumesnil”, vol. 1, Paris, F. de Nobele, p. 164, cat. no. 11).

Prosper de Baudicour (1859) offers the following description of this print: (transl.) “Behind a table, covered with a carpet, placed on the right, and on which the Blessed Virgin is leaning, the high priest, seated, holds the child Jesus in his arms; two assistants clad in tunics lift their cloaks, and behind them a third leans on a golden staff mounted with a statuette. On the clear part of the step, on the left, we read: frago” (p. 164 [see https://archive.org/details/lepeintregraveu00baudgoog/page/n178/mode/1up]); IFF 11.

See also the description of this print offered by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1882-0311-1149.

Condition: a well-printed impression with small margins. Beyond thinning at the corners, the sheet is in an excellent condition for its considerable age with no tears, holes, folds, significant stains (but there are minor brown dots at upper right) or foxing.

I am selling this small but magnificent first state (lifetime) impression by one of most famous of the French Rococo artists, for the total cost of AU$669 (currently US$428.19/EUR430.17/GBP373.98 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this original Fragonard—as opposed to a print after Fragonard and mindful that prints of this rarity and quality are seldom seen on the market place—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold