RAFFAELLO Sanzio
(b. 1483, Urbino, d. 1520, Roma)

Design for the lower half of the Disputa

1510-11
Pen and brown wash with white heightening, 233 x 405 mm
Musée Condé, Chantilly

Numerous preliminary drawings for the Disputa survive. The astonishing thing about them is that they reveal an early, precise, and thoroughly planned draft version that lacks essential elements of the composition and certain accents on the subject matter.