A Game of Hot Cockles
Jean Honoré Fragonard·c. 1775/1780
Historical Context
A Game of Hot Cockles (c. 1775-80), at the National Gallery of Art, is the companion piece to A Game of Horse and Rider, depicting children playing the traditional blindfold game in which one player must guess who has tapped them. Fragonard captures the excitement and laughter of the game with characteristic vitality, the children's movements rendered with fluid, energetic brushwork. The hot cockles game was a traditional French children's pastime that also appeared in adult social contexts as a mildly flirtatious parlor game. Fragonard's treatment emphasizes the innocent enjoyment of childhood, his warm palette and dynamic composition creating an image of spontaneous happiness.
Technical Analysis
The composition is dynamically arranged with figures in animated poses, captured with Fragonard's rapid, energetic brushwork. Warm amber tones dominate the palette, with highlights of white and soft colors in the costumes. The loose, sketchy handling enhances the sense of spontaneous movement and playful energy.
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. 60); 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/41.
