Heraclitus, RP-T-1889-A-2159

The figure is shown from the chest up, his gaze directed downward with a furrowed brow, conveying deep contemplation. His left hand supports his head, a traditional gesture of melancholy, while his hair and beard are rendered with soft, textured lines. This drawing is a study of the figure representing Heraclitus from Raphael’s School of Athens fresco.

Heraclitus, known as the 'weeping philosopher,' represents the introspective and solitary nature of philosophical inquiry. In the Renaissance, this specific pose became synonymous with the melancholic temperament, which was believed to be the essential state of the creative and intellectual genius.