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About This Work
A series of pen-and-ink sketches exploring the mechanics of the human body through various twisting poses and muscle definitions. Some figures appear with their hands bound behind their backs, likely serving as anatomical preparations for figures in larger compositions such as martyrs or captives. The drawings show the artist's process of capturing weight distribution and contrapposto.
Raphael’s anatomical studies reflect the Renaissance belief in the human body as a 'microcosm,' a physical manifestation of divine order and proportion central to Neoplatonic thought. This rigorous observation of nature was considered a prerequisite for capturing the 'idea' of beauty as described in the philosophical circles of Marsilio Ficino.
Connected Texts
Leon Battista Alberti
In 'De Pictura,' Alberti argued that the artist must understand the anatomy of bones and muscles to correctly depict the human form, a principle Raphael follows here.