Le Fauçon (The Falcon)

Artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard French, 1732 - 1806

Dateca. 1789-1795

Place of OriginFrance

MediumPen and ink with bistre wash on paper

DimensionsSheet: 8 × 5 1/2 in. (20.3 × 14 cm)
Frame Dimensions: 11 3/4 x 14 1/4 x 1 1/4 in. (29.8 x 36.2 x 3.2 cm)

ClassificationsDrawings

Credit LineBequest of Charlotte Pruyn Hyde

Object number1971.66

On View

Not on view

Collections

Works on Paper

MarkingsMarkings on back of picture read: D. -W. 2380, Douanes- Paris- Exposition, Made in France, Chenue- Emballeur: 5 Rue de la Terrace, Dorure- e. Boudier- 21 R. de Courcelles, Cadres anciens, N. 7507 uhez.

DescriptionA man and woman seated at a table in a ramshackle interior, waited at table by a maidservant. The illustration is of a story in which the owner of the title falcon has fallen on hard times. The lady, with whom he is in love, has asked to meet with him because she wishes to have him bring his falcon to her very ill, young son who is happiest watching the bird. Unaware of the coming request, the falcon's owner has the bird cooked as it is the only suitable food he has available.The artist has captured the moment of shock when the unhappy end of the bird is revealed to the woman who raises her hands as the dish is brought to the table.Exhibition HistoryWildenstein & Co., 1938;

The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, March 18- May 8, 1980;

Kyoto Municipal Museum, May 24- June 29, 1980.

"Splendid Innovations: The World of French Design, 1650-1785," The Hyde Collection, May 8 - Sept. 7, 1986.

"The Painterly and the Picturesque: Trends in Eighteenth Century European Art," The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY, Hoopes Gallery, Sept. 23- Dec. 30, 2001.

"Drawn from Life and Legend: European Works on Paper from the Permanent Collection," Hoopes Gallery, May 19- Sept. 23, 2007.

"Worth A Thousand Words: The Art of Illustration from The Hyde Collection," Hoopes Gallery, The Hyde Collection, October 28, 2011 - Feb. 19, 2012.

"Celebrating 60 Years: The Collector Charlotte Pruyn Hyde," Hoopes Gallery, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY, May 6-Sept. 17, 2023.Provenanceuntil 1928, Paris, France, D. David-Weill Collection
New York, NY, Wildenstein & Co. Inc.
1942, Glens Falls, NY, Collection of Mrs. Charlotte P. Hyde
1963, Glens Falls, NY, The Hyde Collction Trust