Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Orpheus and Eurydice (recto)
McCrindle, 2009.152.a · The Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access (CC0)View original →
Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Orpheus and Eurydice (recto)

c. 1761

Current Collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Medium
black chalk
Dimensions
28.9 × 22.7 cm
Status
In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID
C24-215782

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.

Provenance

McCrindle, 2009.152.a

Registry history

  • c. 1761 — Recorded in the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art — drawings

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