Figure study for the Expulsion of Heliodorus by Raphael

This drawing consists of two sketches in black chalk showing figures reacting to a dramatic event. On the left, a woman is seen from behind sheltering a child, while on the right, a standing figure is wrapped in heavy robes. These studies demonstrate a focus on capturing emotional movement and the complex folds of classical drapery.

This study was produced during Raphael's work on the Vatican Stanze, a project that sought to reconcile Christian history with the intellectual traditions of classical humanism. It represents the High Renaissance effort to visualize divine intervention and authority through the lens of idealized human form and motion.