Portrait of Bindo Altoviti. Academic Study after Raphael’s , Tuscan School, 38 × 52 cm

Academic Study after Raphael’s “Portrait of Bindo Altoviti”, Tuscan School, 38 × 52 cm
Mid-19th century
Pencil on paper

Academic drawing inspired by Raphael’s Portrait of Bindo Altoviti (painted circa 1514–1515, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.). The work depicts the young Florentine banker Bindo Altoviti, one of Raphael’s most elegant and psychologically subtle portraits.

Executed with remarkable control of tone and contour, the drawing translates the refined softness of Raphael’s original into the precise, linear language of 19th-century academic training. The artist has carefully studied the fall of light on the face and hand, the delicate curls of hair, and the draped fabric that enhances the graceful movement of the composition.

During the 19th century, Raphael’s portraits were among the most frequently copied works in Italian academies, serving as exercises in proportion, ideal beauty, and expression. This drawing perfectly embodies that practice and reflects the persistent admiration for the Renaissance masters in Tuscan academic circles.

From one of two portfolios of drawings discovered in an old Tuscan property, containing academic exercises and studies made between the 18th century and the first quarter of the 20th century.

Paper with a fine surface and light traces of studio use.