Related to the painting "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist" in the Colleoni Chapel, Bergamo, of 1733, either as a preparatory study (Muraro, 1957) or a derivation, possibly by Giuseppe Antonio Petrini (1677-1757/58) as suggested by James Byam Shaw.
Formerly attributed to Petrini, Giuseppe Antonio, 1677-ca. 1755.
Watermark: Seven petaled flower on stem. Watermark (transmitted infrared) flower, seven petals, stem. 142823wm_1983_47_WM_transmIR.tiff
Inscribed at lower right, in pen and brown ink, "D.3."; at lower center, in pen and light blue ink, "N 315"; below this, in pen and brown ink, "Tiepolito"; on verso, in pen and brown ink, "Giovanni Battista Tiepolito // Giovanni Battista Tiepoleto".
Watermark: Possibly "AM" with trefoil on staff. Watermark on lining, at upper right of film, flower with stem and leaves.
Petrini, Giuseppe Antonio, 1677-approximately 1755, Formerly attributed to.
Smith, Nathaniel, former owner.
Scholz, János, former owner.
Muraro, Michelangelo. Venetian Drawings from the Collection János Scholz. Venice : N. Pozza, 1957, no. 68, repr.
Ryskamp, Charles, ed. Twentieth Report to the Fellows of the Pierpont Morgan Library, 1981-1983. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1984, p. 304.