Étude pour le Couronnement de la Vierge

Study for the Coronation of the Virgin (c. 1585-88), in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, is a preparatory sketch that provides insight into Annibale's working process for a major altarpiece. Such oil sketches were essential steps in the development of large compositions, allowing the artist to resolve problems of figure placement, lighting, and color before committing to the final canvas. Annibale's studies reveal a working method that combined careful preparation with spontaneous execution, the sketch's fluid brushwork capturing the energy and inventiveness of the creative process. Dijon's museum preserves this alongside other Italian Baroque works acquired through various channels including Napoleonic redistributions.

Oil sketches like this reveal Annibale's working method — broad areas of color are blocked in rapidly, with the figures loosely indicated rather than fully modeled. The energy and spontaneity of the sketch give it a freshness that differs markedly from the more controlled finish of the final work.