2 - Holy Bishop in an Act of Intercession; Roman School, late 17th–18th century; red chalk on laid paper, 277 x 199 mm

Holy Bishop in an Act of Intercession; Roman School, late 17th–18th century; red chalk on laid paper, 277 x 199 mm The sheet depicts a holy bishop—recognizable by his miter—at the center of a complex devotional scene. The figure, shown standing, raises his arm upward, establishing a clear connection with the celestial realm, while an elaborate group of the faithful is arranged around him. In the lower right, a female figure and a child facing the saint can be seen; in the upper part, angelic figures appear, accentuating the visionary nature of the scene. The absence of unambiguous iconographic attributes makes it impossible to identify the protagonist with certainty. The composition of the scene, however, seems to refer to an episode of intercession or a conversation with the divine, rather than the depiction of a specific miracle. From a stylistic standpoint, the drawing appears closely linked to the Roman figurative tradition that developed around Carlo Maratti between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The clarity of the compositional arrangement, the balance between the earthly and heavenly groups, the noble posture of the main figure, and the controlled nature of the red chalk lines find parallels in the Marattian tradition and, more specifically, in the graphic works of artists such as Giuseppe Passeri, Giacinto Calandrucci, and other collaborators and followers of the master. The rapid yet confident line and the still-succinct nature of some of the figures suggest that the sheet may be interpreted as a preparatory compositional study, likely intended for an altarpiece or a larger religious decoration.