The evening world., 1914-01-24
.FRACONARD PICTURE
EXHIBITION A TREAT
FOR NEW WORKERS
Representative Showing of the
Petted Court Painter of
Louis XIV.
Bv Henry Tyvreu.

A zone -man show" Of Tragonard.
successor TO Vatican and Chardin a.
painter Of gay and luxurious eigh-
teenth century France. ought to make
even picture pampered New York
wake up and rub its eyes.
Such an exhibition opens to-day
under the auspices of Messrs. Gimpel
and Wildenstein at the Charles an
tique rooms. No. 72S Fifth avenue. to
remain there. appropriately. until 1T.
Valentines Day. 1t forestalls by some
weeks the public view Of the late J.
p. Morgan's famous Fragonard panels
promised by the Metropolitan Mu-
scum Of Art.
Fragonard Is . Joyous fad Of the
season. millionaires' fad In one
sense. as a big money magnet was re-
quired to assemble in New York to.
day so sumptuous and representative
a showing Of the petted court painter
Of Louis XIV. of France. The Ave Nor
gan panels alone are appraised at q
round million Of dollars. The Gimpel-
thirty representative examples. GOV.
ering all phases Of the artists career.
and including at least o dozen pic
lures that are world-famous through
engravings and other reproductions.
Some Of these masterpieces are loaned
for the present exhibition. which 10
for the benefit Of the French Hospi-
tai and allied charities.
So II costs a dollar to see this great
est Frago show on earth-unless you
wait until the last two weeks Of the
exhibition. when it IL understood the
price Of admission will be reduced to
so cents. In either case you will be
sure OF getting the worth Of your
money.
Here you have a feast Of "Lova
Among the Roses" garnished with
1.-THE Bliss Of the First Kiss" and
"Jealousies of Childhood" enlivened
with such idrilic incidents ar THE
Bsrdcage" and Friendship Cutting
Loves Wings" The smiling. coauet-
fish or demure portraits Of bygone
royal favorites, actresses and dancers
look down upon "Nymphs Bathing"
"Rinaldo In the Carbon OF Armida"
and adorable shepherds and shepherd.
esses disporting In open air "fetOs
galantes." To balance these are the
lovely genre pieces and domestic
scenes-"The Good Mother" THE
Happy Family" Curiosity" Young
Girl with Marmot," and "Fanchon,
the Hurdy-Gurdy Player" among the
rest. Then there is the devoutly beau
tiful 'Repose In Egypt" and the I'm
~.
copied after the great Rembrandt, this
original Of which is in the Hermitage
at st. Petersburg.
All these pictures are set off" u
perfection by rare old richly carved
frames. some actually OF the period,
others craftily copied, and valued In
themselves at from $1,000 to 5000
apiece. The panels are properly
mounted on the walls. and when a
picture was originally designed for a
decoration over a mirror-the real old
Louis Quinze and Dubarry sort OF
thing Enclosed in dull gold curleycues
1T Is shown just like that here In
Fifth avenue.
Jean Honore Fragonard was bo. a In
the sunny South of France In 1872,
and lived until 1906. He was a pupil
of Boucher, but improved upon his
master. The Revolution practically
ended his artistic career, and through
the fickleness of royal favor he HAD
got in bad with most OF his courtly
patrons even before the political
storm broke.
There were no illustrated supple
ments nor color pages In Frago's day;
therefore, instead OF working on @
live newspaper staff. as he would
he doing In our day. no took his time
and painted In permanent mediuia
these delightful decorations on which,
~ Pierre de Nolhac says. ''he lnvished
all the grace of his soul. the delicacy
Of his coloring. the fascination Of bis
brush"