formerly attributed to - Apollo and Hercules

This red chalk drawing presents two detailed studies of the male form based on ancient sculpture. On the left is a depiction of the Belvedere Torso, a fragmented marble known for its powerful musculature, and on the right is a bearded male figure in a standing pose, rendered with fine cross-hatching to define his physique.

The study of fragmented classical statuary was a cornerstone of Renaissance humanism, representing the effort to recover the lost perfection of antiquity. In the Neoplatonic circles of the High Renaissance, the heroic male body was interpreted as a microcosm of divine order and an expression of the 'prisca sapientia' (ancient wisdom) found in the works of the ancients.