Woman Carrying Water Jar

The drawing Woman Carrying Water Jar by After Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael Italian, 1483-1520, is a seventeenth-century study (1600-1699) that testifies to the enduring influence of the High Renaissance master. This work depicts a solitary female figure engaged in a common domestic task, carrying a large jar balanced upon her head. The composition is likely derived from, or directly inspired by, an original composition by Raphael or a preparatory study executed by his large workshop decades earlier.

The work is classified as a drawing, rendered using black chalk on tan laid paper. The artist carefully utilized the chalk medium to emphasize line, contour, and the heavy drapery folds of the woman’s gown. This meticulous approach suggests the piece may have functioned as a working study, possibly intended for transfer to a painting, or as a model to be reproduced as one of the many prints that circulated throughout Europe, helping to spread Sanzio’s iconic style. The original sheet has been carefully stabilized by being laid down onto a secondary sheet of tan paper.

The designation "After Raphael" indicates that the work was produced in the century following the artist’s death, illustrating how his aesthetic principles continued to dominate artistic production in Italy during the early Baroque period. Artists frequently copied the figure studies and poses developed by Raphael, using them as foundational elements for their own compositions, thereby perpetuating the classical tradition. This historically significant work resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Given its age and status, the image is now widely shared through public domain collections, ensuring its accessibility for academic study and appreciation.