Ruins of an Imperial Palace, Rome
about 1759
- Medium
- Red chalk counterproof
- Dimensions
- 40.7 × 53.8 cm
- Status
- In Museum Collection
- Collect24 Art ID
- C24-202648
This drawing is a counterproof of Fragonard’s red chalk Ruins of an Imperial Palace, Rome (90.GB.138) in the Getty collection. Probably made by the artist himself—the counterproof technique was in common use at the time—the work was created by dampening the Getty drawing, placing the present sheet on top, and then pressing the two together, possibly by running them through a printing press. The result is a reversed version of Fragonard’s design, which features a sunlit view of the northeast corner of the Palatine Hill as seen from the Roman Forum. The present drawing has softer chalk lines, as typically found in counterproofs, and notably reveals the full composition of the original sheet (which has subsequently been significantly trimmed on all four sides). In particular, it makes clear how the later cropping of the original sheet results in a tighter, more intense composition.
Provenance
Gift of Ariane and Lionel Sauvage
Registry history
- about 1759 — Recorded in the collection of J. Paul Getty Museum — drawings
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