Holy Bishop / Mausoleum Project
XVIII century. Red chalk on green paper.Not on display
On the right, a figure in profile wears pontifical dress. He extends his right arm, pointing at something. An acolyte with a book kneels at his feet, raises his head towards the saint, and points with his left arm in the same direction. There is a landscape background with architecture. The mausoleum on the verso shows an urn, above which a female figure holds up an oval portrait of the deceased. Another figure, seated, holds up a long sign or phylactery for her titles. The background is richly draped. The drawing is certainly the work of a sculptor and is strongly reminiscent of the drawings of Philippe de Castro, brought to light by Claude Bedat. The loose and imprecise strokes, the very elongated proportions of the figures and the shading with harsh parallel strokes seem to confirm the provisionally proposed attribution. Among anonymous 17th-century Italian drawings, the Biblioteca Nacional (National Library of Spain) has a drawing –also in red chalk– which rather resembles a copy or report. It can be hesitantly attributed to Pietro Testa and is identical to this one, although inverted.
Pérez Sánchez, Alfonso Emilio, Museo del Prado Catálogo de Dibujos T. III. Dibujos Españoles, Siglo XVIII C-Z, Madrid, Museo del Prado, 1977, p.30
