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François I Brandishing a Sword
About the Artwork
Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard developed a dramatic, narrative style of drawing that was well suited for illustration, and this sheet may have been one such design. Like many of his contemporaries, Fragonard was interested in modern history, focusing on important figures of the recent past. Here, he likely depicted the French king François I (1494–1547), a frequent subject of his work.
Inscriptions
on verso at left margin, in pencil: no 36 / Fragonard fils / 200F; at upper right, in pencil: 82/24
Provenance
Carl Robert Rudolph [c. 1884-1974], London, United Kingdom 1979: (Jan Milner, New York, NY) 1979-2008: Muriel Butkin [1916-2008], Shaker Heights, OH December 2, 2019: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard (French, 1781–1850)
- Date
- c. 1815–30
- Medium
- Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash with graphite underdrawing and white and yellow gouache heightening on wove paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 16.9 x 12.2 cm (6 5/8 x 4 13/16 in.)
- Type
- Drawing
- Classification
- Drawing
- Department
- Drawings
- Credit line
- Bequest of Muriel Butkin
- Accession no.
- 2019.254
More by Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard in museum collections
Don Juan and the Commander's Statue (Last Scene of Mozart's Don Giovanni)
Alexandre-Evariste Fragonardca. 1825–30 · Drawing
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00011339
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