Young Angel
1778.Not on display
This is a preparatory drawing for the figure of an angel in the lower part of the central register in a section of the cupola interior over the High Altar of the Royal Chapel of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez; the fresco The Glory of the Lamb of God. The figure in this drawing appears in a flying pose and the study of the cloak is very thorough while the figure’s extremities are barely sketched. The Museo del Prado has a preparatory sketch (P000601) of the same section of The Glory of the Lamb of God in which the similarities between the drawing and the oil sketch are visible. The Museum also keeps other preparatory drawings, such as God the Father (D000413) and another for Angel Bust (D000457), for the sketch intended for the fresco. Francisco Bayeu also painted other parts of the Chapel like the Cupola in which he developed the following themes: the Attributes of the Virgin and the Allegory of the Church facing the High Altar; in front, Faith with the Tablets of the Law; on the Gospel side, there is Saint Luke painting the Virgin, and on the Epistle side, the Prophet Isaiah. The Museum keeps various related preparatory drawings and sketches.
Arnáez, Rocío, Catálogo de Dibujos. II. Dibujos españoles siglo XVIII. A-B, Madrid, 1975, p.63
