A Park Scene with Figures

In a letter dated 3 December 1996, Eunice Williams informed us that 'the composition is typical of Fragonard's fantasy landscapes, whether small scale or large, which are built on the theme of ancient sculpture and ruins visited by contemporary viewers. In this sketch the free standing sculptures are Egyptians; the bocca della verita adorns the rear wall. The style, handling of wash, and rather carefully defined angular figures are comparable to a late work, An Italian Park, signed and dated 1786, in the Crocker Art Gallery, E.Williams, Drawings by Fragonard in North American Collections, Washington, 1979, no. 52.'
We are grateful to Eunice Williams for confirming the attribution and for her help in writing this entry. .