Drawing for Canto XI of Alessandro Tassoni's "Secchia rapita"

Gravelot's design is preparatory for an illustration to Canto XI in an edition of Alessandro Tassoni's "Secchia rapita" (“The Stolen Bucket”), published in Paris by Lorenzo Prault and Pietro Durand in 1766. Tassoni's mock-heroic poem, originally published in Paris in 1622, blends the construct of an epic with an absurd premise: a 14th century war between Modena and Bologna was actually caused by the Modenese stealing a bucket from Bologna. The corresponding plate appears facing p. 157 in volume 2 of the published work. While the drawing is captioned “O del cielo d'amor ridenti stelle” the caption on published engraving reads “Or mentre s'arma, ecco Renoppia viene E'l coraggio gli addoppia, e la baldanza”. The scene shows Renoppia visiting Count Culagna.