The unbelieving Thomas c. 1510 - 1514

drawing

pencil drawn

drawing

aged paper

high-renaissance

toned paper

light pencil work

ink paper printed

pencil sketch

personal sketchbook

jesus-christ

13_16th-century

sketchbook drawing

sketchbook art

watercolor

This preparatory drawing by Raphael, dated c. 1510-1514, depicts the biblical scene of "The Unbelieving Thomas." The drawing, housed in the Städel Museum, showcases Raphael's mastery of line and composition, as seen in the subtle shading and the dynamic arrangement of the figures. The central focus is on the interaction between Thomas and Jesus, with other apostles surrounding them, creating a sense of intimate observation. The delicate lines suggest the final painting's grandeur and its emphasis on the emotional impact of the scene. This drawing is an important study for Raphael's renowned fresco, "The Transfiguration."

Comments

stadelmuseum over 1 year ago

⋮

This version of the Incredulity of Thomas – presumably executed as the final working drawing for a bronze relief in the Chigi Chapel in Santa Maria della Pace in Rome – was gone over in the eighteenth century in an effort to preserve it. We must therefore look very closely to detect what remains of Raphael’s original silverpoint drawing on pink prepared paper. In the process, we discover that he not only supplied the contours of the figures – who are arranged in a manner suitable for a relief –, but also modelled them with hatching.