Angel Musicians (recto); Head Studies (verso) Gm-00016001

Morazzone (Pier Francesco Mazzuchelli) (Italian, 1573–1626) Two angels play a cello and a lute, while a third listens attentively in the background. Morazzone first drew the design in black chalk, then went over the figures with a brown wash to flesh out the forms. Finally he added a fine network of parallel hatching and cross-hatching in white bodycolor to define such delicate details as the feathered wings, flowing drapery, and shining hair of each angel. The blue of the paper, particularly favored by Venetian artists during this time, adds a fourth tone to the scene.

Morazzone produced the drawing in preparation for a ceiling fresco, completed in 1599, showing music-making angels in the vault of a rosary chapel in Lombardy. The basic architectural frame is similar in the drawing and the fresco.