Verso (partly visible) Study of a putto

This is a preliminary drawing of a winged infant, known as a putto, captured in a spiraling, energetic pose. The light, fluid lines indicate a study for a more complex composition, likely a fresco or altarpiece. The figure appears to be looking down or backwards while floating, demonstrating the artist's focus on organic movement and human proportion.

In the Neoplatonic circles of the Renaissance, the putto represented divine love (Eros) and the 'spiritelli' that mediated between the human soul and the divine. These figures were essential to Raphael’s visual language, which sought to reconcile classical beauty with Christian theology as seen in the intellectual circles of Rome and Florence.