Fragonard, Jean-Honoré (1732-1806)
Les hasards heureux de l’escarpolette (The Happy Chances of the Swing)
c.1767–1768
Oil on canvas, 81 x 64.2 cm
Wallace Collection, London
Fragonard’s iconic painting is one of the most emblematic images of 18th-century French art. A young woman wearing a lovely pink silk frock is tantalisingly positioned mid-air on a swing between her elderly husband on the right and her young lover on the left. The force of the swing causes one of her slippers to fly off, resulting in a privileged view for her lover whose delight is suggested by the symbolic offer of his hat. (Wallace)