Raphaël - Femme assise (recto), 1284-02

This is a preparatory drawing in red chalk or ink showing a woman in profile. Her body is sketched with light, fluid lines, focusing on the posture of her hands and the fall of her drapery. The downward gaze and joined hands suggest she is a study for a devotional figure, likely the Virgin Mary.

As a work by Raphael, this drawing reflects the High Renaissance effort to synthesize natural observation with Neoplatonic ideals of beauty. The search for a 'perfect' form for the Madonna was influenced by the belief that physical harmony served as a direct reflection of divine order and the soul's virtue.