01
The raised left hand
On the left, her fist grips a thin line stretched at shoulder height. No blade is clearly shown, so what she holds stays ambiguous.
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“Stop to witness Raphael's raw depiction of Lucretia, a Roman heroine on the brink of suicide. This drawing captures a deeply emotional moment with striking immediacy, showcasing the artist's mastery of conveying human drama through simple lines.”
ABOUT THIS WORK
In this powerful drawing, Lucretia stands poised at a moment of profound tragedy, a dagger clutched to her chest. Raphael captures the Roman heroine just before she takes her own life, a dramatic act of preserving her honor after being raped. Her gaze is direct, confronting the viewer with her agonizing decision. The drawing, executed in pen and brown ink over black chalk, emphasizes the starkness of her resolve. This portrayal was typical for its era, often appearing alongside figures like Dido, depicting women standing alone in their strength and sorrow. The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired this sketch in 1997, offering a rare glimpse into the High Renaissance master's preparatory process and his ability to convey intense human emotion through line.
DETAILS
- Artist
- Raphael
- Location
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
ART MOVEMENTS
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What to Notice
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02
Outstretched right arm
Her right arm flings wide, palm open, toward the doorway. It balances the other arm and gives the pose a dancer's tension.
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03
Bowed, turned head
Her head dips and turns away, eyes lowered, with a few loose strands of hair blowing back. The quiet face contrasts with the dramatic arms.
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04
Drapery in wash
Look at the heavy skirt gathered into a knot at her hip. Dark ink wash builds deep folds that make the cloth feel weighty and the legs solid beneath.
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05
Scrolled pedestal
On the lower left, a pedestal with curling scrolls is drawn in crisp, careful lines. Its ornament contrasts with the soft, shaded figure beside it.
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THE ARTIST
Raphael
1483–1520 · Holy Roman EmpireRaffaello Sanzio da Urbino, now generally known in English as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur. Together with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, he forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period.
EXPLORE THE MOVEMENT
More from Renaissance
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More works to explore
Beyond Raphael and Renaissance: works from the other movements Lucretia belongs to.
Same movement · High Renaissance
Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci · 1503 · Department of Paintings of the Louvre
Same movement · High Renaissance
Jacopo Pesaro, Bishop of Paphos, being presented by Pope Alexander VI to Saint Peter
Titian · 1504 · Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
Same movement · Academic art
The Entombment of Christ
Caravaggio · 1600 · Pinacoteca Vaticana
Same movement · Academic art
Head of a Child
Jacques-Louis David · 1768 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same movement · Academic art
Joseph-Antoine Moltedo (born 1775)
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres · 1805 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same movement · Academic art
Male Academy Figure: Half-Length, Side View
Eugène Delacroix · 1819 · Karen B. Cohen Collection