Like several other sketches, this was done in connection with Thorvaldsen’s works for the Cathedral Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen. The motifs here interpreted, The Baptism of Christ recto and The Institution of the Eucharist verso refer to the two sacraments of the Lutheran Church. With a couple of rapid strokes of his pencil, Thorvaldsen has, in addition to the actual composition, also defined the outline of the planned relief.
