An Apostle
1790. White chalk, Black chalk on green paper.Not on display
This is a preparatory drawing for one of the figures of an apostle in the lower-right part of the canvas The Assumption of the Virgin on the main altarpiece in the Parish Church of Valdemoro in Madrid. The Museo Camón Aznar in Zaragoza keeps a preparatory sketch. The Museo del Prado has several related preparatory drawings.
The figure is depicted standing and in profile, praying before the tomb and with the cloak gathered behind him. The study of the cloth is very thorough, whereas the extremities and the head are barely sketched.
Arnáez, Rocío, Catálogo de Dibujos II. Dibujos españoles siglo XVIII. A-B, Madrid, 1975, p.100