# Hermit Saint in the Desert

- By: Jean Honoré Fragonard (French, 1732-1806)
- Date: 1752/56
- Medium: Etching on ivory laid paper
- Classification: Print
- Dimensions: Image: 21.6 × 14.7 cm (8 9/16 × 5 13/16 in.); Plate: 23 × 15.7 cm (9 1/16 × 6 3/16 in.); Sheet: 25.4 × 25.7 cm (10 × 10 1/8 in.)
- Culture: France
- Credit line: John H. Wrenn Endowment
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/61008)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/436b28a8-5d94-de1c-fab9-09565cfb10a3/full/843,/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

The sole Boucher composition to be etched by Fragonard, this work is known to survive in only seven proofs. Possibly depicting St. Onuphrius of Egypt, a hermit who lived around 400 A.D., Boucher's original drawing is now in the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Since Fragonard made most of his twenty-four etchings during his voyages in Italy (1756-61 and 1773-74), this work is unusual for its early date and French inspiration.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0