God the Father
1771. White chalk, Black chalk on green paper.Not on display
This is a preparatory drawing for the main figure in the fresco The Prophet Isaiah’s Calling. It was intended for one of the eight sections of the cupola interior of the Collegiate church of La Granja de San Ildefonso Royal Palace, which was destroyed in the fire of 1920. It used to be identified as The Sacrifice of Mosaic law, a title which has been since corrected thanks to José de la Mano’s and Xavier Bray’s research, published in 1997 in Burlington Magazine.
This study depicts God the Father seated on a cloud, facing forwards and with his arms outstretched. The study of the clothing is very thorough. However, the rest of the figure is only sketched out provisionally. The oil sketch is in the Museo del Prado (P002493).
Arnáez, Rocío, Catálogo de Dibujos. II. Dibujos españoles siglo XVIII. A-B, Madrid, 1975, p.52
