Fragonard Room

When Mr. and Mrs. Frick moved into their new residence, this room was called the Drawing Room, a reference to the custom of ladies “withdrawing” from the gentlemen after dinner. Frick’s acquisition of Fragonard’s painted ensemble required that the room be rebuilt to accommodate it. Having purchased the panels from the art dealer Joseph Duveen, Mr. Frick autho- rized him to acquire the sculpture, chimneypiece, furniture, porcelains, and gilt bronze objects that complement Fragonard’s masterpiece; these have remained in the room ever since. The boiseries, or painted wall panels, were designed and executed in Paris by Auguste Decour in the Louis XVI style. The newly christened Fragonard Room opened in 1916.