Raffaello, quattro soldati, 1504-05 ca. (oxford, ashmolean)

The drawing features four men in classical attire or nudity, including a helmeted figure with a staff and a youth holding a shield. Delicate cross-hatching and contour lines define the anatomical structure and the fall of light across the figures. This work is a preparatory study showcasing the artist's early development in character grouping and classical proportion.

This drawing reflects the High Renaissance Neoplatonic ideal of the human body as a reflection of divine geometry and cosmic order. The rigorous study of the nude ('ignudo') was a philosophical pursuit aimed at capturing the 'Idea' of beauty as discussed in the circles of Marsilio Ficino and the Roman humanists.