Head of a boy and section of a horse's mane

Art Historical Context

This delicate drawing, *Head of a Boy and Section of a Horse's Mane*, is a rare preparatory study by the High Renaissance master Raphael (Raffaello San da Urbino, 1483–1520). Created around 1500–0 during Raphael's formative years in Florence and early Roman period, it exemplifies his meticulous approach to capturing human and animal forms. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Drawings and Prints, was generously gifted in 1922 John W. Lisle in memory of his father. Rendered in brush-applied brown and red gouache over subtle black chalk underdrawing, the 9-7/16 x 13-1/16-inch sheet (24.0 x 33.2 cm) showcases Raphael's innovative mixed-media technique. Gouache's opacity allowed for rich tonal modeling and luminous highlights, ideal for studies that informed his grand frescoes and altarpieces, like those in the Vatican Stanze. The boy's expressive head, with its soft curls and attentive gaze, paired with the flowing horse's mane, reveals Raphael's profound interest in anatomy, light, and movement—hallmarks of Renaissance humanism. These sketches were treasures among collectors, bridging Raphael's painterly genius with the intimacy of drawing. Today, they invite us to glimpse the artist's process, where a child's innocence and a beast's vitality foreshadow the harmonious ideals of his masterpieces.