Kneeling Shepherd
First half of the XVII century. Red chalk on laid paper.Not on display
The figure is depicted kneeling in left profile, with his hands together in a sign of adoration. In all likelihood, it is a study for a work depicting the Adoration of the Shepherds. The attribution to Antonio del Castillo – collected by Sánchez Cantón from 19th-century inventories and acknowledged by Valverde – does not seem convincing. As Priscilla Muller has already pointed out, it greatly differs from the drawings known to have been made by the artist. The round head and large hands of the human figure as well as the technique employed with red chalk are reminiscent of certain drawings by Eugenio Cajés, but these aspects are not convincing enough for the drawing to be attributed to him.
Pérez Sánchez, Alfonso E., Catálogo de Dibujos. Vol. I. Dibujos españoles siglos XV-XVII, Madrid, Museo del Prado, 1972, p.165-166
