Study for La Flèche Whose Pockets are Being Searched by Harpagon

Unknown artist

Boucher illustrated a special edition of the complete works of the French playwright Molière. This drawing shows a scene from L’Avare (The miser) in which the old miser Harpagon searches the pockets of his valet, La Flèche, for money. Boucher rendered Harpagon sketchily to try out how he would ultimately place the two figures in the final composition.