Artwork
A Boy in a Red-lined Cloak
A Boy in a Red-lined Cloak is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jean Honoré Fragonard. It dates from 1790 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Together these elements suggest an idealized portrayal of youthful privilege within the aristocratic milieu of late‑18th‑century France.
The painting shows a young boy dressed in a cloak edged with red, a detail that underscores his noble status. The cloak itself functions as a visual marker of aristocratic rank, while the muted background draws attention to the figure's direct engagement with the viewer. Together these elements suggest an idealized portrayal of youthful privilege within the aristocratic milieu of late‑18th‑century France.
Technique & Style
A Boy in a Red-lined Cloak is executed in oil paint on panel, a support choice consistent with Fragonard's smaller-scale cabinet pictures of the period. The work measures 20.8 cm in height by 16.0 cm in width, an intimate format suited to the close, portrait-like focus on the single figure of the boy. Produced in France in 1780, the painting is classified as a painting within the Cleveland Museum of Art's holdings, where it is documented under accession number 1942.49.
The modest panel support and oil medium allow for the refined handling and crisp detail characteristic of Fragonard's late manner, though specific condition notes are not recorded in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The painting was executed around 1780 in France as an oil on panel work. It measures approximately 20.8 cm in height and 16.0 cm in width. After its creation it entered the stock of the Paris‑based dealer Wildenstein & Company, from whom it was acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it now resides in the museum’s collection. No documentary evidence of a specific commission has been recorded in the available sources.
Jean-Honoré Fragonard's painting A Boy in a Red-lined Cloak, created in 1780, is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland. The work bears the museum's accession number 1942.49. Prior to its acquisition by the museum, the painting was owned by Wildenstein & Company.
Overview
Jean‑Honoré Fragonard’s oil painting titled A Boy in a Red‑lined Cloak dates from 1790 and is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work presents a solitary child, rendered against a dark backdrop that isolates his figure and draws attention to his facial expression and attire.
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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.
