The Love Letter

Title: The Love Letter
Rights: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain.
Creator: Jean Honore Fragonard (1732-1806)
Date: 1770s
Description: A notable aspect of this painting is that there is what looks like an under painting exposed in the background of this painting. Most likely, this means that the painting was done with much speed, and without the intent of capturing a particular person, but a scene or theme. Here, this marvelously wealthy lady inserts a letter into a bouquet of flowers. She is adorned in an beautiful, dusty blue dress with lace sleeves, and a bonnet to top off the look. Her dog sits behind her, and she glances at the viewer, as if someone has intruded on her secret. This kind of interaction between gazes is present in Fragonard's painting Curiosity. Additionally, the theme of the love letter was popular, seen in other paintings such as Boucher's The Dispatch of the Messenger.
Format: Painting. Oil on canvas. 32 3/4 x 26 3/8 in.
Publisher: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 49.7.49
Contributor: Marissa S.
Identifier: 49.7.49
Subject: Rococo; French Painting; Oil Painting.
Source: JPEG file. Unknown Photographer. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Digital Collection. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436322, 3/31/2020.