Although a composition of the same subject by Giovanni Antonio Guardi exists in a Venetian private collection, A. Morassi, Guardi, i dipinti, Venice, 1984, no. 35, pl. 40, the draughtsmanship of the present drawing rather suggests an attribution to Giovanni Antonio's younger brother Francesco. The more scratchy use of the pen and the features of the Madonna more resemble Francesco's drawings, such as the Presentation in the Temple in the Uffizi or the Immaculate Conception in a Milanese private collection, A. Morassi, Guardi i disegni, Venice, 1984, nos. 123, 145, pls. 124, 145. Heads of cherubs similar to the two in the present drawing can be found in many of Francesco's works. A nearly exact parallel to these two heads is found in drawings at the Albertina and Correr museums, A. Morassi, Guardi i disegni, nos. 170, 172, pls. 172-3.