A Game of Hot Cockles

A Game of Hot Cockles delivers many of the signature elements with which we fondly remember the career of Rococo painter, Jean-Honore Fragonard.

There is a stunning landscape backdrop which stretches out as far as the eye can see, and in the foreground is a landscaped garden, with sculptures lining each side of the composition. In between is a series of small figures playfully passing some leisure time together. There are perhaps more figures here than the artist would normally make use of, which is why he chose to make them a little smaller. They are dominated by the landscape around them, and in this case are relatively anonymous, at least in terms of identity, rather than importance. A young couple sit together, separate from the others, with the red dress worn by the lady capturing one's gaze.

Fragonard took on the teachings of Chardin and Boucher to put together a unique take on the Rococo style and had a particular passion for depicting happy, joyful moments in the lives of the wealthy. They would always be beautifully dressed, both male and female, and often he would focus on the lives of younger lovers, sharing their innocence and joy. Additionally, there were moments of comedy too, where he would be playful himself, such as Woman and her Dog, where the owner is sized so much larger than the tiny dog with whom she shared such affection. Simple games of that period also enabled him to follow a theme that was ideally aimed at encapsulating fun and frolics, see Blind Man's Buff for example.

The original artwork is dated at circa 1775/1780 and this was a prolific period for the artist. Many of his paintings are only loosely dated because of the lack of documentation and focus on his career during some periods. He is now perhaps more famous than in previous centuries and this has helped even more to learn about his work. The Rococo movement may not be as popular as many other movements today, but there is room for all manner of styles today and few would ever doubt his impressive technical abilities. The piece can now be found in the collection of the National Gallery of Art alongside several other paintings from his career.