The Phrygian Sibyl, c. 1511 - 1514

This study shows a seated female figure in a dynamic, twisted pose, her head turned sharply over her shoulder. The artist uses red chalk to define the heavy folds of her classical drapery and the muscular tension of her arms. This drawing is a preparatory study for the fresco in the Chigi Chapel at Santa Maria della Pace in Rome.

Sibyls were incorporated into the Renaissance 'prisca theologia' (ancient theology) as pagan prophetesses who supposedly foretold the advent of Christ. This representation reflects the Neoplatonic effort to harmonize classical oracular traditions with Christian revelation, a project central to the intellectual circles of the Roman High Renaissance.