About the Work
This drawing bears a connection to Piazzetta’s painting The Vision of John the Baptist of 1741-44. In comparison to the works of Piazzetta, however, the head exhibits less plasticity; moreover, the pose differs from the one in the painting. The master’s authorship must therefore be ruled out. The work could conceivably be a study by his pupil Giuseppe Angeli, who copied the painting. Yet since it does not correspond clearly to other works in Angeli’s drawing oeuvre, it has been given a general attribution to the Piazzetta circle.