ALEXANDRE - EVARISTE FRAGONARD
Grasse 1780 - Paris 1850

L’Heure Fatale: Sujet Fantastique (II)

Oil On Canvas: 56 x 45.7 cm (23.33 x 19.04 in)

Provenance: Paris, Ader Picard Tajan, Sale, 12 Dec. 1989, lot 36.

The subject of this work is something of an enigma; while it clearly recalls the imagery of Goethe’s Faust, which had inspired Fragonard on other occasions , there is no scene in the play to which it absolutely conforms. It may have been inspired by a contemporary theatrical variation on Faust or it may have been a subject of the artist’s own invention. This painting was in the sale of Fragonard’s collection after his death, catalogued as: “L’Heure fatale, sujet fantastique. Le diable apparaît à un jeune seigneur à table avec une courtisane, et lui montre du doigt, sure le cadran, sa dernière heure qui va sonner. 56c de haut, 46 c de lang.” It is the larger of two versions. The most notable difference between the two versions is in the treatment of the figure of the devil; in this version he is clothed in sixteenth-century garb with only pointed ears to reveal his true character, while in the smaller version he is a horned beast who appears in a cloud of smoke and flames. This painting shows both Fragonard’s talents as a draftsman (the legacy of his Davidian education) and as a colorist with a flair for theatrical lighting effects that recall the work of his father. Although this picture is not dated, comparison with other works suggests a date in the late 1820s.