Although Stanzione is almost unknown as a draughtsman the traditional attribution may well be correct. The rapid, functional nature of the drawing accords with the few known Stanzione drawings such as the Pietà in a private collection, Paris and The Death of the Virgin at Capodimonte, S. Schütze and T. Willette, Massimo Stanzione, Naples, 1992, figs. 175 and 207 respectively. The pose of the angel in the Annunciation formerly in a private collection, Naples is close to that in the present drawing, S. Schütze and T. Willette, op. cit., fig. 118.
The collector's number 'D.2' on the mount of the drawing is in the same hand as that found on other Neapolitan drawings; such as Solimena's study in a private collection, London, W. Vitzthum, Il barocco a napoli e nell'italia meridionale, Milan, 1971, pl. XXX