(Grasse 1732-1806 Paris) A tomb in the crypt of Parma cathedral, 1761, contre-epreuve in red chalk, on laid paper, 15,8 x 25,5 cm, inscribed "Tombeau dans l'église souterraine du dosme à Parme" in pencil at lower margin, with an old mount of the 18th century, framed, (Sch)

The attribution to JeanHonoré Fragonard was confirmed by Prof. Pierre Rosenberg.

Literature:
Pierre Rosenberg, "Fragonard àParme, Fragonard et Parme", in: Antologia di Belle Arti, Nos. 43-47, 1993, pp. 161-162. Alexandre Ananoff, L'oeuvre dessiné de Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Paris 1961-1970, Vol. IV, Cat. 2651; Pierre Rosenberg & Barbara Berjon de Lavergnée, Panopticon italiano. Un diario di viaggio ritrovato, 1759-1761, Rome 1986, Cat. 308; Andrea Bacchi, Prospero Clemente. Uno scultore manierista nella Reggio del '500, Milan 2001, pp. 140-147; C. Gandoli, "Le sculture metafisiche di Prospero Spani detto il Clemente", Musei Ferraresi, 1974, p. 141, Cat. 4.

In 1761 on his return from Rome to Paris Fragonard made copies after more than 300 old master paintings together with Jean-Claude Richard Abbé de Saint-Non (1727-1791). The drawings were intended as preliminary studies for an illustrated travel guide, of which part of them were published by Saint Non in his "Voyage pittoresque ou Description des royaumes de Naples et de Sicile" (5 Vols., Paris 1781-1786) The most drawings were executed in black chalk, only few of them in red chalk which makes the present sheet particularly interesting. On August 1st 1761 Fragonard arrived together with Saint Non in Parma and stayed in the palace of Colorno until August 19. During this sejourn he made two drawings after the recently restored tomb of the lawyer and collector Bartolomeo Pati (1571-1542) in the crypt of the cathedral of Parma, which was exeuted by the sculptor Prospero Clemente (1516-1584) after a design by Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli (c. 1502-1569) in 1543.