The Fox and the Turkey Hens

brush and black ink and gray wash heightened with white gouache, blue ink in margin; framing lines in brown inkJean-Baptiste Oudry (French, 1686–1755)/1733

Description

This drawing depicts a fable about turkeys whose anxieties about falling victim to a fox ultimately make them susceptible to the predator. It was one of 276 designs produced by Jean-Baptiste Oudry related to humorous but educational stories compiled by French poet Jean de La Fontaine in the later 1600s. Published in four luxurious volumes between 1755 and 1759, The Fables of La Fontaine withOudry’s illustrations was one of the most ambitious publishing projects of the artist’s time. The books were art objects meant to be collected more than read, but they were successful enough that they were reissued several times in later centuries.

Provenance

collection of the artist; Montenault; the bothers De Bure; [sale of J.-J. De Bure, 1853, no. 344]; Adolphe Thibaudeau; [Solar sale, 1860, no. 627]; Morgand, Paris; M. Roederer, Reims; Rosenbach, New York; Private collection, New York; all according to Opperman 1977, p. 683: collection of the artist; c. 1751sold to Montenault (not in Lugt). the bothers De Bure, by 1828 (not in Lugt); [sale of J.-J. De Bure, 1853, no. 344] (no sale listed by Lugt); Adolphe Thibaudeau (no article in Lugt, but see under 2473). [Solar sale, 1860, no. 627] (sale not cited by Lugt). Morgand, Paris, c. 1876 (not in Lugt); M. Roederer, Reims (not in Lugt); Rosenbach, New York, c. 1930 (not in Lugt); Private collection, New York. [Claus Virch]

Dimensions

31 × 26 cm

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Movement / Period

Drawings

Accession No

1977.93

Official Citations

[The Cleveland Museum of Art Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Jean-Baptiste Oudry (French, 1686–1755)

Drawings • France, 18th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery