'The Phrygian Sibyl', 1953,1010.1

This drawing shows a seated female figure twisting her torso in a complex pose, her head turned toward the upper left. She wears voluminous classical robes and a headscarf, with her body defined by delicate cross-hatching that creates a sense of three-dimensional form and muscle. It is a preparatory study for a larger fresco commissioned for a chapel in Rome.

Sibyls were ancient pagan prophetesses who Renaissance humanists believed had foretold the coming of Christ. This reflects the Neoplatonic effort to harmonize classical 'prisca theologia' (ancient theology) with Christian revelation, a project central to the circle of Marsilio Ficino.