Gravelot's design is preparatory for an illustration to Canto IV of 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. 75 in the published work and is captioned “Un asino cader vider dal cielo”. The scene shows the carcass of an ass, hurled by the Modenese, landing amongst the besieged populace of Bologna.
Signed "H. Gravelot inven" in ink at lower right.
Ray, Gordon Norton, 1915-1986, former owner.
Kraemer, Ruth S. "Drawings by Gravelot for Alessandro Tassoni's mock-heroic poem La secchia rapita." Master drawings, XXVIII (Autumn 1990), p. 338-343, no. 8.