Study sheet with St Francis, an Annunciation and three studies of heads

About the Work

This sheet is an outstanding example of Palma’s draughtsmanship. In his sketches he frequently recorded likenesses of the people around him – here, for example, his wife Andriana. The Annunciation group, on the other hand, was presumably inspired by a Titian painting for San Domenico Maggiore in Naples; it reappears in Palma’s drawings again and again with slight variations. These studies are more than mere preparation for paintings, however – here the art of drawing clearly possesses its own intrinsic value. The calligraphic exercises attribute a specific aesthetic to the line, and the sketch thus gains autonomy as a work of art.