A Game of Horse and Rider
Jean Honoré Fragonard·c. 1775/1780
Historical Context
A Game of Horse and Rider (c. 1775-80), at the National Gallery of Art, is one of a pair of paintings depicting children at play — a subject that allowed Fragonard to combine his gift for capturing movement with the tender observation of childhood. The exuberant game of piggyback riding is rendered with characteristically fluid brushwork, the children's energy conveyed through dynamic composition and warm, golden light. These genre scenes of childhood play reflect the influence of Rousseau's writings on natural education and the growing eighteenth-century interest in children as individuals rather than miniature adults. The painting's companion piece, A Game of Hot Cockles, treats a similar theme of spontaneous childhood amusement.
Technical Analysis
Fragonard's brushwork is characteristically rapid and spirited, with warm golden tones and loose, flowing strokes suggesting movement and spontaneity. The composition captures the dynamic energy of children at play, with diagonal lines and swirling drapery creating a sense of joyful motion.
Provenance
Possibly William Williams Hope [1802-1855], Rushton Hall, Northamptonshire, and Paris; possibly by gift to Madame Jenny Colon [1808-1842], Paris.[1] Emile [1800-1875] and Isaac [1806-1880] Péreire, Paris, by 1864; (Péreire sale, at their residence by Pillet and Petit, Paris, 6-9 March 1872, no. 61); Frédéric-Alexis-Louis Pillet-Will, comte Pillet [1837-1911], Paris, until at least 1910.[2] (Wildenstein & Co., Inc., Paris, New York, and London), by 1932;[3] Calouste Gulbenkian [1869-1955]; (Wildenstein & Co., Inc., Paris, New York, and London);[4] sold 1942 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[5] gift 1946 to NGA. [1] For the Hope-Colon provenance, see W. Bürger, "Galerie de MM. Pereire," _Gazette des Beaux-Arts_ ser. I, 16 (April 1864): 201. [2] The painting was lent by Pillet-Will to an exhibition in Berlin in 1910. [3] The painting was lent by Wildenstein to a 1932 exhibition in London. [4] Georges Wildenstein's letter of 21 January 1952 to John Walker (NGA curatorial files) confirms Gulbenkian's ownership and the fact "that my father bought [it] back from him." [5] See also The Kress Collection Digital Archive, https://kress.nga.gov/Detail/objects/40.
