Lot Essay
Schiavone's distinctive style as a draftsman was inspired both by the elegance of Parmigianino and Vasari, and the pictorial tradition of the Venetians, Titian and Tintoretto in particular. The sheet may be made in preparation of the artist's etching of St. Paul preaching at Athens (Bartsch, XVI, p. 53, no. 22) where the three main carachters are depicted from an opposite direction.