Head of an apostle, 1895,0915.634

This detailed study depicts an elderly man looking downward with a solemn, contemplative expression. Executed in black chalk, the work uses dramatic light and shadow to define the furrowed brow, heavy eyelids, and the rhythmic texture of the subject's flowing beard. Such drawings were used to transfer precise psychological expressions from paper to the final wooden panel.

This work represents the Renaissance effort to map the 'moti mentali' (movements of the mind) onto physical features, a concept central to Neoplatonic thought. In the context of the Transfiguration, the apostles represent the earthly struggle to comprehend divine light, reflecting the philosophical tension between the material and spiritual realms.