This paper proposes an addition to the graphic works of the Bolognese painter Bartolomeo Cesi. At the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City there is a drawing, currently catalogued as the work of Ercole Procaccini the Elder, which this study instead attributes to Cesi. Stylistically consistent with his known graphic production, the sheet is preparatory for one of the scenes in the martyrdom cycle executed between 1584 and 1585 by Cesi together with his colleague Camillo Procaccini for the crypt of the cathedral of Bologna. The scene in question depicts the 'Martyrdom of Saint Vitalis' and was intended for the first niche to the right of the altar dedicated to the Crucifix. Undertaken under the patronage of Archbishop Gabriele Paleotti, this decorative program – now almost entirely lost – undoubtedly represents one of the most significant artistic achievements on the Bolognese artistic scene following the Council of Trent, a period partly revitalized by Paleotti's own reforming actions. In addition to expanding our knowledge of Cesi's youthful graphic production – poised midway between Mannerist culture and the Carracci's “true-to-life” naturalism – identifying the American sheet as an autograph work by Cesi allows us to reconstruct visually the lost scene in the crypt. Moreover, comparison with several autograph notes by Paleotti concerning the cycle's iconographic program illuminates the relationship between the prelate and the painters he engaged for the project, and sheds light on the genesis of the distinctive iconography of the 'Martyrdom of Saint Vitalis'. This iconography, most likely devised ad hoc by Gabriele Paleotti and his cousin Alfonso for the crypt cycle, would be a source of inspiration in later Bolognese painting.