The uncomfortable poses of the angel and St Catherine and the staccato handling of the oil paint indicate that this is a late work. Castiglione seems to have been primarily concerned with establishing a rhythm of lights and darks across the surface of the paper. In the densest areas the brushstrokes have coalesced into solid patches of paint, and the resulting bleed-through of oil can be seen on the reverse of the sheet, exposed on the other side of the plinth. At top right is a skilful early repair of a damaged area, patched using an off-cut from another Castiglione drawing. Cat. 65