Head of a boy and section of a horse's mane

This fragment shows a boy with soft facial features and a red cap, his mouth slightly open as if in mid-speech or song. To his left, a large section of a horse's mane is rendered with dark, undulating lines that create a sense of rhythmic movement. The work is a rare surviving piece of a larger altarpiece that was dismantled following an earthquake in 1789.

As part of Raphael's first documented commission, the Baronci Altarpiece, this work marks the beginning of his development toward the High Renaissance ideal. The emphasis on the harmony between human beauty and natural forms reflects the Neoplatonic belief that physical grace is an outward manifestation of spiritual perfection.