Saint Peter
1771. White chalk, Black chalk on green paper.Not on display
This is a preparatory drawing for the figure of Saint Peter in the fresco The Transfiguration, intended for one of the eight sections of the cupola interior of the Collegiate church of San Ildefonso, which was destroyed in the fire of 1920. The preparatory sketch for this fresco is known to have been part of the Simonsen Collection in Sao Paulo (it came on the market in New York in 1975). This is a study of a male figure, seated with his back turned and his left arm raised. The study of the clothing is very thorough, whereas the limbs are only provisionally sketched.
Arnáez, Rocío, Catálogo de Dibujos. II. Dibujos españoles siglo XVIII. A-B, Madrid, 1975, p.54