The Little Park
Medium
etching
Dimensions
sheet: 14.4 × 21.8 cm · platemark: 11.2 × 16.5 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2013.20
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
male
About this artwork
One of Fragonard’s earliest etchings, this picturesque view of an imaginary terraced Italian garden is perhaps inspired by memories of the grounds at the Villa d’Este in Tivoli, where he spent time in 1760. Fragonard’s spontaneously scribbled, willowy lines and his choice of black-gray ink give the etching a silvery quality that evokes the hazy atmosphere of hot Italian summers. Beneath the sun-dappled foliage, between the lion statues, a young woman encounters a youth resting on the steps.