Saint John the Baptist as a Child
XVII century. Black chalk on laid paper.Not on display
The young saint sits on the ground, embracing a lamb and holding the cane cross in his left hand. This work is directly related to the painting that belonged to the Duke of Westminster. Mayer (1926) considered it a preparatory work for that one. Nonetheless, it may conceivably have been derived from that canvas by one of the artist’s innumerable later imitators, as its graphic style differs considerably from that of other confirmed drawings with analogous technique (Text from Pérez Sánchez, A.E.: Dibujos españoles siglos XV-XVII, 1972, 106).
