Ravenna, Museo Nazionale, Sinopia proveniente da Sant'Apollinare in Classe (prima dello stacco)

The restoration works of the apse mosaics of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, made from 1970 to 1976, discovered the preparatory drawings of a different iconographic program from the one executed in mosaic.
In place of the twelve lambs and the figure of Saint Apollinaris, the first idea was a band containing a cross in the center and on the sides pairs of peacocks between baskets of fruit, flowers and garlands.
The southern part of the sinopia was detached and today it is conserved in the National Museum of Ravenna.