Cats in Art: The Education of the Virgin (Fragonard)

From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art.  Having moved on from Stefano Zuffi's marvelous work, The Cat in Art, I am now using some ideas from Caroline Bugler's equally impressive book, The Cat/3500 Years of the Cat in Art.  You really should check out and/or own both of these wonderful works, easily available on Amazon or eBay (and I have no financial interest).

This will be the second of 5 posts on the cat art of Jean Honore Fragonard.

Image credit The Athenaeum, The Education of the Virgin, Jean-Honore Fragonard, 1773,  33" x 45", oil on canvas, held by Fine Arts Museum-Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA, USA.

And the close-up of that fine kitty over there on the right:

I've been to this museum, but frankly, I don't recall anything about it.  It was awhile ago, long before Cats in Art.  But I surely regret not being able to describe this piece from my own personal recollection.

First, what bothers me about this painting.  The Virgin herself (I presume it's Mary) looks kinda doll-like and puny in comparison to her oversized teacher.  The proportions seem a bit off.  Then there's the cat....

To Fragonard's everlasting credit, he felt compelled to include a cat in the theme of "The Education of the Virgin."  Good on him, knowledge of felines is surely next to godliness.  But his kitty rendering, like last week's, makes the poor cat look doll-like (akin to Mary?) and unrealistic.  Perhaps it's the same kitty model?

One final point, at least the cat is showing an interest in the painter.  Although Fragonard's image to me seems off, he does capture well the spirit of curiosity that is the essence of catness.

[Gary note: With my Cats in Arts posts, I encourage you to scope out the art appreciation site Artsy (I have no financial interest in the site, I just like it), where you can explore many aspects of the world of art.  You'll certainly be entertained and enlightened!]