An unknown masterpiece by French painter Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806), titled “La jeune femme au chapeau” (“The Young Woman with a Hat”), was auctioned for 3.2 million euros (3.5 million dollars) on Thursday in Paris. Boisgirard Antonini, the auction house organizing the event at the Hotel Drouot, announced the successful sale.
Originally estimated at between 400,000 and 600,000 euros, the painting had been held within the same family since the 18th century. It hails from the same collection as the “Philosopher,” discovered in 2021 and sold for over 7 million euros in Épernay, northeastern France.
“The Young Woman with a Hat,” likely painted between 1770 and 1775, features an oval shape—a popular format among painters of the 18th century. Jean Honoré Fragonard, a libertine painter at the court of Louis XV, specialized in gallant scenes and is considered a leading artist of frivolity and the Rococo style.
This successful auction not only adds to the allure of Fragonard’s oeuvre but also underscores the ongoing fascination and value attached to rediscovered works from renowned artists of the past.