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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis delicate study captures the soft features of an infant, likely a model for a Christ Child or infant Saint John the Baptist. The artist uses fine hatching to define the volume of the cheek and the detailed structure of the ear, while loose, circular strokes suggest a mass of thick curls. A collector's or attribution mark 'R.V.' appears in the lower right corner.
As a study from Raphael's Florentine period, this work reflects the Renaissance pursuit of 'disegno'—the idea that drawing is the externalization of an internal intellectual concept. This practice was central to the Neoplatonic belief that observing and perfecting natural forms could reveal divine proportions and universal beauty.
R.V.
Object
Oil on panel
portrait
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://online-sammlung.hamburger-kunsthalle.de/de/suche?term=raffael
1736 × 2000 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.