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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis drawing captures the soft features and tight, spiraling curls of a child's face using delicate black chalk. It is a working study for a larger fresco, showing the artist's focus on the subtle modeling of shadows around the eyes and the downward gaze of the figure. As a cartoon fragment, it was likely used to transfer the design directly onto the plaster of the Vatican's ceilings.
The Stanza della Segnatura represents the peak of High Renaissance Neoplatonism, reconciling classical wisdom with Christian theology. This putto accompanies 'Poetry,' a figure whose motto 'Numine Afflatur' (Inspired by the Divine) refers to the Platonic concept of divine frenzy (furor poeticus) promoted by Marsilio Ficino.
RAPHAEL
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic theories on divine inspiration and the 'poetic madness' described in Plato's Phaedrus underpin the program of Raphael's Poetry.
Object
Oil on panel
allegory
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/search?agent=Raphael&technique=drawn&view=grid&sort=object_name__asc&page=1
2376 × 2500 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.