This fast and loose sketch, made in black chalk with very few lines and surely drawn from life, is a preparatory work for a figure in the tapestry cartoon Dance on the banks of the Manzanares (1777). The individuality of the face is achieved with a single line; a few short lines mark the sideburn, and vigorous, confident strokes depict the hat. The scarce clarity highlights the contours, and defines the reflections of light, a characteristic resource used by Goya to achieve a naturalistic illumination.

Matilla Rodríguez, José Manuel, Ligereza y atrevimiento. Dibujos de Goya, Santander, Fundación Botín, 2017, p.52 n.17; 166 n.17