The Two Sisters

A print by Gérard Vidal (1742–1801) documents that this painting was originally about twice its current size: the Polchinelle doll’s body lay limp between the legs of the toy horse, which sat on wheels pushed by the older girl. Fragonard’s painting may have been a portrait, but it is just as likely to have been a more general depiction of childhood, not unlike the subjects pioneered in France by Chardin. In 1770, Fragonard’s patron and friend, the Abbé de Saint-Non, created a pastel copy of the full composition also in The Met’s collection.