CANO'S GREATEST DRAWING
This monumental design is undoubtedly Cano's masterpiece on paper. Composed of seventeen joined sheets, it served as a plan for the altarpiece of the Chapel of San Diego de Alcalá. Philip IV became patron of the chapel in 1657, and his coats of arms appear at the lower left and right of the drawing. The highly finished execution indicates that this was a presentation drawing, offering the king different options to consider, including a proposed painting of St. Francis at lower left and a proposed sculpture of St. Anthony of Padua at lower right.
Alonso Cano (1601-1667), Design for the Altarpiece of the Chapel of San Diego de Alcalá, Convent of Santa María de Jesús, Alcalá de Henares, 1657-58