Study for the Esterházy Madonna

Between 1504 and 1508, Raphael made several drawings for the Virgin and Child, but only a single compositional study for the Esterházy Madonna has come down to us. His pen drawing preserved in the Uffizi, Florence, gives the complete image and corresponds almost exactly with the panel painting. The main differences are that in the painted version , the horizon has been lowered, a river runs across the hills to the left, and the Tuscan landscape has been replaced by classical ruins.

Outlines in the drawing are pricked for transfer. From infrared reflectograph it was concluded that there was no direct transfer from the drawing to the panel, the drawing may have been an intervening study.