Raphaël - Vierge allaitant l'Enfant Jésus ; Femme allaitant un enfant, 1283-01

This drawing in red ink or chalk shows a seated woman nursing an infant, a motif common in Renaissance devotional art. To the left, a secondary sketch shows a partially reclining figure, suggesting the artist used the page to work through multiple anatomical or compositional ideas. The fluid, delicate linework is characteristic of a preliminary study for a larger painting.

In the Neoplatonic environment of the Renaissance, the image of the nursing mother represented not only Christian devotion but also the nourishing power of Divine Nature. This motif was later adapted in alchemical imagery to represent the 'mercurial milk' or the sustenance provided by the Prima Materia during the early stages of the Great Work.