Studies for a guard in a Resurrection and of an angel, c. 1499

Two metalpoint studies on a grey-green prepared ground showing a kneeling angel and a soldier reclining on his side. The angel in the upper portion is sketched in profile with a raised hand, while the soldier below is foreshortened, looking upward and shielding his eyes. White heightening is used to define the contours of the muscles and the folds of the garments.

This drawing represents Raphael's early developmental stage, showing the transition from the style of his teacher Perugino toward the naturalism of the High Renaissance. It illustrates the humanistic effort to render spiritual events through rigorous anatomical study and the observation of light, foundations that would later inform his Neoplatonic masterpieces.