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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThe drawing depicts a muscular man seated on the ground, leaning back with his right arm raised to protect his face from a sudden light. The artist uses detailed cross-hatching to render the anatomical tension of the torso, legs, and shielding arm. While the mounting inscription links it to a different fresco, the pose is characteristic of a guard at Christ's tomb during the Resurrection.
Raphael's anatomical studies reflect the Renaissance Neoplatonic ideal of the human body as a microcosm of divine order. This approach sought to harmonize the empirical study of nature with the philosophical pursuit of 'perfected' forms, a central tenet of the intellectual circles surrounding the Papal court.
71. RAFFAELLE Tabulæ quæ in Palatio Vaticano Victoriam de Saracenis in Ostiensi littore reportatam, exprimit, inserviendum.
Translation
Serving for the painting in the Vatican Palace which expresses the victory over the Saracens achieved on the coast of Ostia.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonism provided the philosophical framework for the High Renaissance obsession with the divine proportions of the human body.
Object
Oil on panel
anatomical
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/search?agent=Raphael&technique=drawn&view=grid&sort=object_name__asc&page=1
2500 × 2087 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.