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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis sheet contains preliminary sketches showing three figures in motion, likely intended for a religious composition such as an Assumption or Coronation of the Virgin. One figure reaches out toward another, while a faint, larger face occupies the left side of the composition. These drawings reveal the artist's process of refining anatomy and the interaction of figures within a celestial space.
These sketches represent the High Renaissance synthesis of Christian theology and Neoplatonic philosophy, where the idealized human form serves as a vessel for divine beauty. Raphael's work exemplifies the era's attempt to visualize the celestial hierarchy, a concept central to both orthodox theology and the Western esoteric tradition's understanding of the cosmos.
MALCOLM B.M. COLLECTION 1895—9—15—621 IM
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
The depiction of angelic beings in Renaissance art was deeply influenced by 'De Coelesti Hierarchia', which defined the orders and natures of celestial intelligences.
Object
Oil on panel
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/search?agent=Raphael&technique=drawn&view=grid&sort=object_name__asc&page=1
2500 × 1937 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.