Perugino - Milon of Croton

The central figure is a muscular man depicted in mid-stride, balancing the weight of a bull across his upper back and shoulders. He holds the animal's legs in his hands, showcasing a feat of strength famously associated with the ancient Olympic games. The sketch is executed in fine line work with auxiliary sketches of heads appearing in the corners of the sheet.

Milon was a celebrated athlete from Croton and a known associate of Pythagoras; in the Renaissance, he became a symbol of the Pythagorean tradition and a moralizing figure regarding the limits of physical strength. Neoplatonists viewed the history of Croton as a key chapter in the 'Prisca Theologia,' or the ancient chain of divine wisdom.