Curtis_O_Baer_2010

under the voluminous folds of his dressing gown, as he thoughtfully regards his pen poised to write, while the cello which he will soon play rests with the bow against his thighs. (Translation by Zafran, Atlanta catalogue 1985 , op.cit.) This sheet has a notable provenance, one that is shared with many drawings by Gravelot that now belong to public collections such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Morgan Library, The Houghton Library, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Gravelot’s entire portfolio of drawing studies for engravings was acquired, at an unknown date, by the 18 th-century collector of drawings and pastels, The Marquis de Fourqueville of Toulouse. The portfolio passed to the next Marquis by descent and was then acquired (at an unknown date) by Emmanuel Bocher ( 1835 – 1919 ), the cataloguer and collector of 18 th century drawings and prints. The next owner of the Gravelot portfolio was Louis Roederer (d. 1880 ), a member of the champagne-producing family; within a relatively short period of time, Roederer amassed a spectacular collection of 18 th century French works on paper that included one of the most comprehensive inventories of illustrated books ever assembled. In 1922 , his nephew, Léon Olry Roederer (d. 1932 ), sold the entire Roederer collection (through Thomas Agnew and Sons, London) to fund needed repairs to the family’s champagne plant, which had been badly damaged during the first world war. The Gravelot portfolio (and a number of book illustrations by Fragonard) was purchased by the rare book dealer and collector A.S.W. Rosenbach. From this purchase in 1922 until Dr. Rosenbach’s death in 1952 , the A.S.W. Rosenbach company sold many drawings from the Gravelot portfolio, large groups of which entered the aforementioned public collections, often as gifts, over the course of several decades.