A Boy in a Red-lined Cloak

In the course of his long career, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings. In this particular painting, the seventeenth-century costume, the brown palette, and his technique suggest that Fragonard is reflecting upon the work of Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt rather than his teacher François Boucher. While there is considerable evidence that the sitter is Alexander Evariste Fragonard, the artist's son, this identity has never been confirmed.