Five Nude Infants in Various Poses
Medium
Metalpoint, traces of charcoal or black chalk, on pale pinkish gray prepared paper.
Dimensions
9 3/8 x 7 7/16 in. (23.8 x 18.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.395
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created around 1500, this delicate drawing captures Raphael at the very beginning of his career, when the young artist from Urbino was absorbing the graceful ideals of the High Renaissance. The sheet shows five nude infants—likely studies of putti or baby figures—twisting and turning in different poses. Such quick explorations of movement and anatomy were essential training for Renaissance painters, who often placed cherubic children in religious scenes to symbolize innocence and divine joy. Executed in metalpoint on pale pink prepared paper, the work reveals Raphael’s remarkable precision ev...