Orpheus and Eurydice (recto); Figure Studies (verso)
Medium
Black and gray chalks on cream laid paper
Dimensions
{"sheet":{"height":0.289,"width":0.227}}
Classification
Drawing
Department
Drawings
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Joseph F. McCrindle
Accession Number
2009.152
Tags
male
About this artwork
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.