A sketch from the pen of Raphael

This small study of a young man’s head was once in the collection of the important British portrait painter, Sir Thomas Lawrence. The subtle rendering of the face testifies to Raphael‘s great mastery and makes this small sheet one of the highlights of the Old Masters auction in April.

Raphael was known for his extraordinary mastery of the human anatomy and for his ability to capture the emotional depth of his subjects. He made meticulously observed preparatory drawings for his paintings and frescoes. His studies for the heads of young men are part of his exploration of the human figure, often seen in his preparatory sketches for larger works.

This small study of a head of a young man, drawn in ink on paper, possesses a soulfulness that is typical of Raphael’s sketches. Here, Raphael concentrates on a head shown turned to the right, almost in profile, indicating the posture and demeanor of the man who seems to be leaning forward, bowing slightly. It is unlikely that the sketch was ever part of a study of a whole male figure, as the downward drawing lines diminish as they reach the bottom of the sketch. It is the subtlety in the positioning of the head and expression on the face, which describes interest mingled with a sense of reverence, that so perfectly characterize the mastery of Raphael.

Sketches on single sheets of paper of this type appear throughout Raphael’s career. The British art historian Paul Joannides dates the sparing, concise style of this small-scale study to around 1507 during Raphael’s Florentine years, when he was exposed to the work of Leonardo da Vinci. It has also been suggested however, that this sketch relates to Raphael’s studies for a tapestry of The Calling of Peter which was commissioned by Pope Leo X for the Sistine Chapel.

On the back of the sheet there is an inscription reading ‘P444’ which relates to the celebrated 19th century German art historian Johann David Passavant who describes this drawing as “A head, very small format, by Rafael’s hand” in his important 1839 biography of Raphael. Passavant records the sheet as having once been in the famous collection of Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830). Lawrence was the leading British portrait painter of his day. He built up an unrivalled collection of Old Master Drawings which included several works be Michelangelo and Raphael many of which are now in the British Museum and the Ashmoleon Museum, Oxford.