Head for the Figure of a Knight
1779. White chalk, Red chalk on dark toned paper.Not on display
This is a preparatory sketch for the head of a knight. It is most likely intended for the one carrying the simple stretcher in the right part of the centre register and in the midground of the fresco The Transfer of the Remains of Saint Eugene in the cloister of Toledo Cathedral. Three preparatory sketches 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 depicts the male head in right profile with a lowered gaze. There are similarities in the features in both the fresco and the sketch in Toledo Cathedral.
Arnáez, Rocío, Catálogo de Dibujos II. Dibujos españoles siglo XVIII. A-B, Madrid, 1975, p.69
