17 - Jean-Honoré FRAGONARD (1732–1806)

Jean-Honoré FRAGONARD (1732–1806) The Pasha Oil on canvas 72 x 90 cm Engraved by Eugène Vallet around 1885. In a carved and gilded wooden frame, a French piece from the Louis XV period. PROVENANCE - Probably the Vigier auction, Paris, May 14–15, 1818, lot 19 (under the title: “King Solomon, reclining comfortably on a divan and having just finished his sorbet, has young women brought before him by the Master of Ceremonies”); - Probably from the Simonet auction, Paris, March 18–19, 1850, lot 44 (titled: “Odalisque Presented to the Sultan”); Nicole auction, Paris, January 26, 1869, lot 30; - Laurent-Richard auction, Paris, May 23–25, 1878, lot 95, sold for 1,220 francs; - Collection of Mrs. Waldeck-Rousseau, Paris; - Collection of Mrs. Charcot, Paris. - Charcot, Paris, 1889; - Collection of Dr. Jean Charcot, Paris, acquired by the Princess of Poix, née Courval, around 1913 (according to a label on the reverse), then passed down through the family to the Duchess of Mouchy; - Private aristocratic collection, France. - Anonymous sale in New York, Sotheby’s, January 29, 1999, lot 332 EXHIBITIONS - Paris, Trocadéro, Universal Exposition. Centennial of French Art, 1889, cat. no. 345; - Marseille, Colonial Exhibition, “Provençal Art,” 1906, cat. no. 533; - Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, “Chardin and Fragonard,” 1907, cat. no. 93; - Nice, Cercle Artistique, 1907, cat. No. 19: - Berlin, Royal Academy of Arts, Exhibition of 18th-Century French Art, 1910, cat. No. 49; Leipzig, Kunstverein, 1910, cat. No. 300; - Paris, Pavillon de Marsan, “La Turquerie au XVIIIème siècle,” 1911 LITERATURE - A. de Losalot, “La collection Laurent-Richard,” *Gazette des Beaux-Arts*, 1878, Vol. II, p. 461; - R. Portalis, *Honoré Fragonard: His Life and Work*, 1889, pp. 202 and 283; - P. de Nolhac, *J.H. Fragonard*, 1906, p. 145; A. Dayot and L. Vaillat, “The Work of J.B.S. Chardin and J.H. Fragonard,” *L’Art et les Artistes*, June–July 1907, cat. No. 114: M. Tourneux, “The Chardin-Fragonard Exhibition,” 1907, Vol. II, p. 100; J. Guiffrey, “The Chardin-Fragonard Exhibition,” Revue de l’Art, XXII, 1907, p. 115; G. Khan, H. Fragonard, undated, p. 32; R. de La Sizeranne, “Chardin-Fragonard,” Le Miroir de la Vie, 1909, Vol. II, p. 115; A. Hallays, *Voyage en Provence*, p. 2163; A. Dayot, *L’Art et les Mœurs en France*, 1909, p. 89; J.-L. Vaudoyer, “The Exhibition of 18th-Century French Art at the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin,” *Les Arts*, July 1910, p. 20; J.-L. Vaudoyer, “Orientalism in Europe in the 18th Century,” *Gazette des Beaux-Arts*, 1911, Vol. II, p. 101; L. Réau, *Fragonard: His Life and Work*, 1956, p. 162; J. Wilhelm, *Fragonard*, unpublished manuscript, 1960, p. 215; G. Wildenstein, *The Paintings of Fragonard*, 1960, p. 273, cat. No. 339, ill. Fig. 147 (between 1765–1772); J. Thuillier, *Fragonard*, 1967, p. 87; E. Mandel, *L’Opera completa di Fragonard*, 1972, cat. No. 355, ill.; J.-P. Cuzin, Jean-Honoré Fragonard: Life and Work, 1987, p. 330, cat. No. 362, ill. (c. 1780–1785); P. Rosenberg, *The Complete Paintings of Fragonard*, 1989, p. 108, cat. No. 329, ill. (c. 1775), p. 8: Fascination with the Near and Far East was ubiquitous in the 18th century, and Turkish exoticism was particularly in vogue throughout the century in literature and theater. Figures in Turkish costumes populate certain gallant scenes by artists ranging from Watteau to Lancret and Pater; the theme is further explored by Carle Vanloo (A Pasha Having His Mistress’s Portrait Painted, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts), exhibited at the 1737 Salon, which also adorned the Marquise de Pompadour’s Turkish-style bedroom at the Château de Bellevue (1755). At Versailles in the 1780s, the Count of Artois and Marie-Antoinette each set up a Turkish boudoir. Paintings on similar themes were exhibited at the Salons by Amand (1767), Favray (1771), Amédée Vanloo (1775), and Taraval (1779). This artistic fantasy is often imaginary and anecdotal, as very few painters had the opportunity to travel to the Ottoman Empire. The theme of the sultan in his harem was explored by various artists in the 18th century. As is often the case with Fragonard, the literary source depicted remains unknown. He drew inspiration from several texts to create a fantastical atmosphere, evocative of a romanticized Orient. He likely read *The Thousand and One Nights*, translated into French by Antoine Galland (1704–1708), travel journals, or even a play by Molière. In our painting, two young women are presented to the Sultan by a Turk, accompanied by two dark-skinned (and slightly menacing) servants in the background. Fragonard used three drawings to prepare this painting, leading up to our version on canvas. Two are compositional studies held in private collections in Paris and New York. The third