Angel's head
1772. Red chalk on laid thin wrapping paper.Not on display
This is one of Goya´s earliest preserved drawing and one of the few known to have been a preparatory work for a painting, in this case for a fresco on the dome over the choir loft in the Basilica of the Pillar in Zaragoza. The head corresponds to the typical feminine face that Goya used for his virgins during those same years, and for the majas in his tapestry cartoons. Goya´s female angels, such as those in the San Antonio de la Florida Chapel, have drawn attention because of their feminine look.
Goya received the commission to paint the fresco on the Zaragoza basilica’s choir vault shortly after his return from Italy in the autumn of 1771. Here, he demonstrated his ability to produce a large-scale composition, carefully preparing its execution, as this was his first public commission and one for an emblematic building in the city. Although only three preparatory drawings are known, in addition to a highly finished oil sketch, Goya must have made studies for all the figures painted.
Matilla Rodríguez, José Manuel, Ligereza y atrevimiento. Dibujos de Goya, Santander, Fundación Botín, 2017, p.31 n.1; 158 n.1
