The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 23, 2024
Figure Studies (verso)
c. 1761
(French, 1732–1806)
Sheet: 28.9 x 22.7 cm (11 3/8 x 8 15/16 in.)
Gift of Joseph F. McCrindle 2009.152.b
Location: not on view
Description
Quick drawings could serve a variety of purposes, and it is not always clear today why an artist created a particular sketch. This one may record a painting Fragonard saw during a journey to Italy, or capture an idea he was considering for a painting of his own. Orpheus, identified by the lute, grasps for his love Eurydice as she is pulled down into Hades. The snarling animals near his feet may represent Cerberus, the multiheaded guard dog of the underworld.- Ex collection: [Lucien Goldschmidt, New York, 1980]
- {{cite web|title=Figure Studies (verso) |url=false|author=Jean-Honoré Fragonard|year=c. 1761|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2009.152.b