Study of the Head and Left Shoulder of a Woman

This splendid drawing demonstrates Raphael’s flair for delineating a figure with just a few lines. He worked out the shadows on her arm and shoulder blade with fine hatching. This is a study for one of the prominent figures in his last and most famous painting The Transfiguration. It was almost completed when Raphael suddenly died. He was laid out in state under the painting in his workshop.