Artwork
Mountain Landscape at Sunset
Mountain Landscape at Sunset is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jean Honoré Fragonard. It dates from 1765 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a landscape painting, its primary subject is the natural environment rather than a narrative scene or specific historical event.
The work depicts a mountain landscape illuminated by the light of a setting sun. As a landscape painting, its primary subject is the natural environment rather than a narrative scene or specific historical event. The title indicates the specific time of day represented, focusing on the atmospheric effects of dusk over the terrain.
The composition serves as a study of light and nature typical of the genre, without additional symbolic figures or allegorical elements described in the available records.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1765, this landscape by Jean-Honoré Fragonard is an oil painting applied on paper. The work measures 21.5 cm in height and 32.8 cm in width. Stylistically, it belongs to the landscape genre, depicting a mountainous scene at sunset.
While some records broadly associate the artist with canvas supports, the specific material composition for this piece is identified as oil on paper.
History & Provenance
Mountain Landscape at Sunset is an oil painting by Jean‑Honoré Fragonard, executed in 1765. The work is recorded as oil on paper in the internal catalogue and as oil paint on canvas in the National Gallery of Art records.
Its earliest documented ownership emerged in 1996 when it was sold at auction at Hôtel Drouot in Paris; the sale was recorded by James Mackinnon, who later acquired the piece in London. The painting was purchased on 14 February 1997 through the New York dealer W.M. Brady & Co. and entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its accession number is 1997.57.1. The work was acquired by the NGA on 14 February 1997 through W.M. Brady & Co., New York, from James Mackinnon, London, who had purchased it the previous year at an undocumented, uncatalogued sale at Hôtel Drouot in Paris. No specific exhibition history is recorded in the provided sources.
Overview
Mountain Landscape at Sunset is a painting by Jean Honoré Fragonard, created around 1765. This oil on paper work depicts a natural scene, capturing the fleeting light of dusk over a varied terrain. It exemplifies the artist's approach to landscape, characterized by an immediate and expressive handling of paint to convey atmospheric effects.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Honoré Fragonard was born on 5 April 1732 in Grasse, the son of a glover, and moved with his family to Paris in 1738.
