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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis ink drawing shows a muscular child figure in a twisting, energetic pose. He holds an olive branch as a symbol of peace while steadying a shield, with decorative scrolls or ribbons swirling around his limbs. The sketch showcases a focus on anatomy and the fluid movement of the figure common in High Renaissance preparatory studies.
Putti in Renaissance art often served as 'spiritelli,' or vital spirits, representing the intermediary forces that animate the world in Neoplatonic philosophy. As a work by Raphael, it reflects the humanist effort to harmonize classical pagan motifs with contemporary theological and philosophical structures.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's theories on 'spiritus' or 'spiritelli' provide the philosophical framework for the ubiquitous use of winged child figures as representations of vital cosmic energy.
Object
Oil on panel
allegory
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://sammlungenonline.albertina.at/ "Raffaello Santi" (KÜNSTLER_IN) Graphische Sammlung (Sammlung)
850 × 1068 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on March 31, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.