Study for St Thomas

This sketch shows a young man with his head tilted back and eyes fixed on the heavens in an expression of awe. Below the face, two hands are rendered with fine hatching: one is open in a gesture of reception while the other points toward a divine mystery. The delicate linework emphasizes the soft curls of the hair and the play of light across the figure's features.

This work illustrates the Renaissance preoccupation with the 'upward gaze' as a visual metaphor for the Neoplatonic ascent of the soul. It reflects ideas popularized by Marsilio Ficino regarding the human intellect's capacity to transcend the material world through spiritual vision and divine ecstasy.