Orpheus and Eurydice (recto)
Jean-Honoré Fragonard · c. 1761 · Cleveland Museum of Art
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From the museum
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.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0
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Details
- Maker
- Jean-Honoré Fragonard (French, 1732–1806)
- Date
- c. 1761
- Medium
- black chalk
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 28.9 x 22.7 cm (11 3/8 x 8 15/16 in.)
- Place of origin
- France
- Held by
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · Not on view
- Credit line
- Gift of Joseph F. McCrindle
Image: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0
