Description: Inscribed at lower centre in pen and brown ink: Mellan (Tessin's hand) and numbered at lower right: 2560 (Sparre)

Guercino painted this subject at least twice, once in 1648 and again in 1660. The only surviving painting of the subject (Palazzo Balbi-Senàrega, Genoa) has been identified as the earlier of the two. Our drawing seems not to be related to this painting and as it is stylistically consistent with his late drawings it might be part of the preparatory work for the late version of the subject. There is an off-set of this drawing in Windsor and another drawing of the subject in the Albertina, Vienna. [Bjurström, It. Drawings, cat. no. 1563]

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