The four preparatory drawings were made by Domingos António de Sequeira (1768-1837) for the series of compositions he painted in Rome towards the end of his active years in the city (1827-1833). The themes of the Adoration of the Magi, the Descent from the Cross, the Ascension and the Final Judgement are presented as key moments in the Christian narrative, each of them recreated in generous spaces and inhabited by a large number of figures. The visionary atmosphere of the various scenes is elevated by the use of different lighting, able to sensitively express the spiritual singularly of each one. Produced on almost the same scale as the corresponding oil paintings, the solutions for the final compositions appear to be already fully established here, although the artist did reformulate certain details.
After the painter’s death, these cartoons remained in the possession of the family, who, in a moment of need, pawned them to the ‘Mount of Piety’ in Rome, from which they were recovered, in 1859, by the Marquis of Sousa Holstein, son of the Duke of Palmela. After the marquis’ death, in 1878, the four drawings were acquired from the heirs by the Academia de Belas Artes, from where they were transferred to this Museum.
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