Fragonard - The Happy Accidents of the Swing (The Swing)

In the centre of the painting stands a young woman, the Baron's mistress, who is happily jumping on a swing. She mischievously throws her shoe - a sign of sensuality - towards her lover (the Baron), revealing at the same time her ankle which at the time had an eminently erotic connotation!

By "a happy coincidence", the lover is located in the right place to see the legs (or more?!) of his mistress: a vision that disturbs him to the point of making him lose his balance and capsize into the flowers. On the far right, the bishop desired by the Baron has been replaced by Fragonard by a deceived husband, who pushes the swing all smiles without suspecting that his wife is having fun with another man. On the left side, a Putto symbolizing Love, raises a finger to his lips and invites us to remain silent... A way of inviting the spectator into the secret!

This type of painting was all the rage among the nobility. They were intended for the private apartments of their patrons. But with the evolution of morals, when the Baron de Saint Julien was condemned to death during the Revolution, libertine scenes were no longer in fashion... Fragonard's painting reappeared under the Second Empire in the collection of Napoleon III's half-brother, the Duke of Morny. Later bought by the English collector the Marquis of Hertford, it was bequeathed to his natural son Richard Wallace who founded the prestigious Wallace Collection in London where the canvas can be admired today!