Study of the Head of an Apostle

The drawing depicts a man with downcast eyes and a voluminous beard, his head tilted in a posture of deep concentration or sorrow. Heavy chalk hatching and shading create a sense of three-dimensional form and dramatic, directional lighting. This work is an 'auxiliary cartoon,' a full-scale detail used to refine the psychological expressions of the figures before the final painting.

This study reflects the Renaissance effort to map the 'motions of the mind' (motti dell'anima) through physical expression, a concept aligned with Neoplatonic views on the soul's manifestation through the body. The Transfiguration itself was a key theme for Christian Neoplatonists, representing the divine light and the mystical ascent of the human spirit.