Studies of the Christ Child

Art Historical Context

Created around 1513–14 during Raphael’s mature Roman period, this delicate red-chalk drawing offers an intimate glimpse into the artist’s working process. Raphael, one of the leading figures of the High Renaissance, frequently produced such studies to explore the natural gestures and expressions of the Christ Child, a central figure in his many Madonna and Holy Family compositions. The sheet’s modest size—just over eight by six inches—belies the richness of observation it contains, revealing the artist’s careful attention to the soft curves of an infant’s body. Executed in red chalk, a medium...