Raffael - Zwei Tondi mit den Halbfiguren des Hl. Petrus und Maria als Mater Dolorosa, KdZ 494

Two circular studies are presented side-by-side. The left tondo depicts the Virgin Mary in profile, her head veiled and hands clasped in a gesture of sorrow. The right tondo shows Saint Peter holding a book and his iconographic keys, rendered with fine cross-hatching to define volume and light.

As a work by Raphael, this drawing represents the technical mastery and devotional clarity of the High Renaissance. While primarily religious, Raphael's work provided the visual vocabulary for the Neoplatonic synthesis of Christian and Classical ideals that defined the intellectual circles of Rome and Florence.