Head for a Figure of a Knight
1779. Red chalk, White chalk on dark toned paper.Not on display
This is most likely a preparatory drawing for the head of a knight for the fresco The Transfer of the Remains of Saint Eugene in the cloister of Toledo Cathedral. Three preparatory drawings for the fresco are extant: one in Toledo Cathedral, another in the Ena Collection in Zaragoza and the third in a private collection in Madrid. The Museo del Prado keeps several related drawings. The study of the head is very thorough. It is depicted facing forwards, slightly turned towards the right and looking towards the left. The sketch kept in Toledo Cathedral shows the similarity with the knight located in the central part looking towards the viewer. Nevertheless, the same figure in the fresco shows a different appearance.
Arnáez, Rocío, Catálogo de Dibujos II. Dibujos españoles siglo XVIII. A-B, Madrid, 1975, p.69
