Johannes der Täufer predigt in der Wüste c. 1659

This brown ink drawing, "Johannes der Täufer predigt in der Wüste" (John the Baptist Preaching in the Wilderness) by Paolo Veronese, is a preparatory study for a larger painting. Executed in the artist's characteristic style, the drawing depicts John the Baptist preaching to a group of people in a landscape setting. Veronese's mastery of figure drawing and composition is evident in this study. The artist's signature, "Annibal Caracci", appears at the top left corner, suggesting that he used the drawing as a study for his own work.