Holy Bishop in Ecstasy / Study of a Knight’s Jacket
XVIII century. Black chalk on grey paper.Not on display
This is a study of a Holy Bishop with one knee on the ground, facing forwards with his hands open. On the same sheet, there are two detailed studies of the hands of the same figure.
On the verso is an ink study of a knight’s coat, standing and on one foot, and beads.
It is a preparatory drawing for Stoning of a Holy Bishop (which presents the complete scene), known from a drawing sold in London and attributed to Antonio González Velázquez (sic). The figure of the Holy Bishop is a direct match, although the artist reverses the positions of the legs and the arrangement of the folds. The head and hands are almost exactly replicated, although the Museo del Prado’s drawing is much more schematic.
Pérez Sánchez, Alfonso Emilio, Museo del Prado Catálogo de Dibujos T. III. Dibujos Españoles, Siglo XVIII C-Z, Madrid, Museo del Prado, 1977, p.37
