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Source Description
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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
167133
label
Orpheus and Eurydice (recto); Figure Studies (verso)
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
167133
contentType
drawing
title
Orpheus and Eurydice (recto); Figure Studies (verso)
description
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.
date
c. 1761
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79998304
creators
2002
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 28.9 x 22.7 cm (11 3/8 x 8 15/16 in.)
cul
France, 18th century
accession
2009.152
Source extras
tec
Black and gray chalks on cream laid paper
tombstone
Orpheus and Eurydice (recto); Figure Studies (verso)
, c. 1761. Jean-Honoré Fragonard (French, 1732–1806). Black and gray chalks on cream laid paper; sheet: 28.9 x 22.7 cm (11 3/8 x 8 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Joseph F. McCrindle, 2009.152
collection
DR - French
creditline
Gift of Joseph F. McCrindle
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:37:36.035000
sourceId
167133
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - French
med
Black and gray chalks on cream laid paper
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
68f5561b8ac3229b