St Paul preaching, with two figures behind him

A facsimile reproducing three figures from a drawing by Raphael now in the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi, Florence (inv. no.540E). Lettered with artists' names. Published in S. Mulinari, 'Disegni originali d'eccellenti pittori esistenti nella reale galleria di Firenze', Florence 1774, plate 74. The Uffizi drawing has sometimes been described as a preparatory study by Raphael for the cartoon of 'St Paul Preaching at Athens' now part of the Royal Collection (RCIN 912950, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum), designed for one of the ten tapestries illustrating episodes from the lives of St Peter and St Paul commissioned by Pope Leo X for the Sistine Chapel. A photograph of the Uffizi drawing can be found at RCIN 853198.