A seated angel reaching up

This drawing was executed on the verso of an early proof of the earlier of Parmigianino's etchings of The Entombment, printed before the removal of foul-biting. The present impression differs from later ones in a number of minor details which were reworked in the plate by Parmigianino, such as the background at the upper left corner. The print is generally dated to circa 1527. The drawing must have been executed just before the etching since the sheet was trimmed to the size of the print. Three standard impressions of the etching have been sold in these Rooms, 18 April 1978, lot 78, 4 July 1979, lot 4 and 27 June 1984, lot 568.