Raffaello - Fliegender Engel (Studie für das Sibyllen-Fresko, S. Maria della Pace, Rom)

The central figure is a muscular, winged angel in mid-flight, reaching forward to grasp the edge of a large rectangular tablet or book. Two smaller peripheral sketches on the same sheet detail the arrangement of heavy robes and the positioning of a figure's torso and arms. The drawing uses fine red chalk hatching to define the anatomy and the dramatic sense of motion required for the fresco's composition.

Sibyls were viewed by Renaissance Neoplatonists as pagan counterparts to the Old Testament prophets, representing the 'prisca theologia' or ancient wisdom that foretold Christian revelation. This study illustrates the role of angels as divine intermediaries who transmit celestial knowledge to these ancient seers, a theme central to the intellectual program of the Chigi Chapel.