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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThe study focuses on the intense, downward gaze and furrowed brow of an elderly figure, capturing a moment of profound psychological weight. Finely rendered lines define the curls of the beard and the anatomy of the neck, showing how the figure reacts to a miraculous or distressing event. This head belongs to one of the apostles who, in the finished altarpiece, witnesses the struggle to heal a possessed boy on earth while Christ is glorified above.
This study reflects the High Renaissance fascination with 'affetti'—the physical manifestation of the soul's inner states. In the context of the Transfiguration, it illustrates the human condition’s position between the demonic/earthly realm and the celestial light, a theme central to Neoplatonic thought and the 'lumen gratiae' discussed by Renaissance theologians.
31. Raphaël ou d'après lui Tete d'une figure du Tableau de la Transfiguration
Translation
31. Raphael or after him Head of a figure from the painting of the Transfiguration
Marsilio Ficino
Raphael’s circle in Rome was influenced by Ficinian Neoplatonism, specifically ideas regarding the soul's ascent toward divine light as depicted in the Transfiguration.
Object
Oil on panel
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://sammlungenonline.albertina.at/ "Raffaello Santi" (KÜNSTLER_IN) Graphische Sammlung (Sammlung)
850 × 1034 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.