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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThe drawing depicts an elderly man in a classical tunic, standing with his arms outstretched in a rhetorical gesture. Fine cross-hatching is used to model the musculature of the legs and the heavy folds of the drapery, capturing the figure's movement and physical presence. This sheet served as a working study for Raphael's depiction of the lyric poet among the assembly of great writers on Mount Parnassus.
As a study for the Stanza della Segnatura, this work reflects the Renaissance synthesis of classical literature and Christian theology. Horace's inclusion in the 'Parnassus' program highlights the era's Neoplatonic appreciation for 'theologia poetica,' where ancient poets were viewed as divinely inspired conduits for philosophical truth.
Horace
The subject of the drawing and author of the 'Ars Poetica', a foundational text for Renaissance aesthetic theory.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic concept of 'furor poeticus' (poetic madness) provided the philosophical justification for placing poets like Horace in the heart of the Vatican.
Object
Oil on panel
portrait
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_Pp-1-74
1848 × 2500 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on March 31, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.