The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence - en grisaille

This delicate sketch relates to the large altarpiece of the same subject in the Chiesa di San Sisto in Piacenza (fig. 1), executed by Pittoni in circa 1741. The fact that it is painted en grisaille with the same shaped top as the finished altarpiece, suggests that it may be a ricordo created after the altarpiece's execution as a model for an engraver, rather than a bozzetto or modello.

Another ricordo of the altarpiece en grisaille is at Hinton Ampner near Alresford, bequeathed to the National Trust by Ralph Dutton, 8th Lord Sherborne.