This library is built in the open.
If you spot an error, have a suggestion, or just want to say hello — we’d love to hear from you.
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis drawing captures the rounded features and curly hair of an infant using fine hatching. The child gazes down with a contemplative expression, showcasing the soft modeling of the cheeks and precise anatomical rendering characteristic of the artist's preparatory work. It represents a study for a larger religious composition, likely a Madonna and Child.
Raphael’s idealized depictions of childhood reflect the Neoplatonic belief in the divine innocence of the soul. In the context of Renaissance natural philosophy, such studies were not merely artistic exercises but attempts to capture the 'ideal' form that reflects spiritual perfection.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino’s theories on divine beauty and the soul's reflection in physical form provided the philosophical framework for the High Renaissance search for ideal human proportions.
Object
Oil on panel
portrait
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://online-sammlung.hamburger-kunsthalle.de/de/suche?term=raffael
1794 × 2000 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on March 31, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.