Die mystische Vermählung der Heiligen Katharina 

Gaspare Diziani made this drawing, "The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine," using pen and brown ink on paper. It is not a painting on canvas, but a quick sketch that shows the artist's initial thought process. The material itself—paper and ink—allowed for spontaneity. The lines are energetic and free, quickly capturing a complex scene with numerous figures, an angel, and architectural elements. This kind of sketch served as a practice exercise in the studio, or it could be done for patrons to approve. Diziani's virtuosity is evident in the confident strokes that define the forms, capturing light and shadow. Drawings like this allow us to appreciate the artist's skills in a different light, seeing the foundations of what would become a finished painting. The sheer labor and skill of the hand in the production of images like this speaks to a world before mechanical reproduction. It reminds us that creativity is first and foremost an act of making.