The Virgin of Atocha
1654. Pencil, Grey-brown wash on laid paper.Not on display
The image of the Virgin, dressed and wearing a very large crown attached to an outer halo, stands on a base with concave and convex mouldings. Two hollowed-out pilasters, decorated with plaques and garlands, flank her. Above these, an arch with scrolls of fleshy foliage is erected, crowned with flower adornments and a cross.
As Wethey pointed out, it is a very beautiful work that is characteristic of Herrera Barnuevo, undoubtedly the project he presented in 1654 to the Cathedral of Toledo. It was intended to be made in silver. This was never brought to fruition: although he was paid for the drawing on 15 February of that year, the throne was ultimately made by the goldsmith Virgilio Fanelli, according to the project presented by Pedro de la Torre.
Nevertheless, the drawing was exhibited in Pontevedra in 1959, when it was attributed to Cano, an attribution that was also untenable from a stylistic point of view.
Pérez Sánchez, Alfonso E., Catálogo de Dibujos. Vol. I. Dibujos españoles siglos XV-XVII, Madrid, Museo del Prado, 1972, p.97
