An engraving of Marcellus II: portrait of the Pope seated; his left hand resting on the chair arm, his right hand raised in blessing. The attribution to Bonasone is due to Bartsch. Although Bartsch catalogued this as the first state of the print, it shows clear signs of burnishing out and re-engraving of the beard and coat of arms, and it may be that the plate was initially engraved to represent Julius III (RCIN 809526) who died before it was issued. This print is lettered along the bottom: "MARCELLVS. II. PONT. OPT. MAX."

The print formed part of an album of portrait prints assembled by Cassiano dal Pozzo in Rome and described in an early nineteenth-century inventory of prints in George III's library as Portraits of Popes and Cardinals. The album was arranged hierarchically from popes to cardinals and thence on to archbishops and bishops, and within each category chronologically (starting from St Peter, according to tradition the first pope). The album was dismantled later in the nineteenth century and the prints that were retained were integrated with others in the collection.

For more information see Mark McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. I: Ceremonies, Costumes, Portraits and Genre, 3 vols, Royal Collection Trust 2017, part of The Paper Museum of Cassiano dal Pozzo: A Catalogue Raisonné, cat. no. 1158.