Illustration to La Fontaine's Fables

Fragonard, Jean-Honore

Summary

A reproduction produced by the Vasari Society of a drawing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. In the drawing a group of people are crowded round a telescope which is pointing into the room, rather than out of the window. A person is holding something up to the end of the telescope, and a figure next to him is leaning back with a sword in his hand. Another figure is holding up a mouse by its tail, and looking away from it. At the bottom of the drawing is written "une souri dans la lune". Text from the accompanying booklet produced by the Vasari Society: "No. 29 JEAN-HONORÉ FRAGONARD (b. 1732; d. 1806) ILLUSTRATION TO LA FONTAINE'S FABLES National Gallery of Scotland. Pen and sepia, and sepia wash. 25.7 x 17.6 cm. (9 5/8 x 6 7/8 in.). The subject is drawn from the Eighteenth Fable of the Seventh Book, 'Un animal dans la lune.' Whether Fragonard ever projected a series of illustrations to the Fables is not known. A certain number of engravings after his designs were made for an edition of the Contes. Visible in the original but not in the reproduction is a seemingly meaningless inscription 'Le sueur' or 'le loir'. A. E. P."