An amorous couple by a tree, putti on a dolphin fountain above

The son of Joseph Cellony I (1663-1731), who specialised in portrait painting, the younger Cellony was mainly active in Marseille and was a member of the city's Academy of Painting. He was a pupil of Michel-François Dandré-Bardon (1700-1778) and his drawings often resemble those of his master. A drawing which can stylistically be compared to the present drawing,The burial of a man, is in a private collection (P. Rosenberg, 'Michel-François Dandré-Bardon (1700-1778)', Cahiers du dessin Français, XII, 2001, no. 60, ill.).