Head of an Apostle

This is a study for the head of an apostle, turned to right, eyes closed. The drawing is one of the six surviving black chalk ‘auxiliary cartoons’ for Raphael’s last great altarpiece depicting the Transfiguration. It is for the head of the Apostle peering over the heads of St Peter and St Andrew in the centre

In this study the full figure reaches from corner to corner across the sheet. The foreshortening of the raised hand is given a lot of attention, while that of the calf and lower leg is merely indicated in a summary manner. Raphael repeats the pose of the model’s head to further consider the form of the neck, particularly where it joins with the shoulders at its base. Beneath it the left arm is singled out, with the densely applied chalk studying volume through light/dark contrasts and exploring the effect of pressure on the tensely gripping fingers.