Prudence

Marcantonio Raimondi after Raphael

National Gallery of Art

This print depicts a person standing with one foot in front of the other. Their face is turned to the left, with one arm curved upward and touching their head, and their other arm extended downward with a snake curled around their wrist. They have a straight nose and wear a neutral expression, with their eyes looking outward. Their long curly hair is pulled back from their head by a cloth headband, with a long section flowing down their back. Out of that section of hair appears another face, which is turned towards the right. This second face appears older, with a low brow, long nose, and a beard that flows into the hair of the left face. The body of the person is mostly nude and wrapped loosely in a thin fabric that is hung diagonally around their body and bunched at the waist. The fabric appears to be see-through, as details of the person’s stomach and legs are visible beneath it. The person stands in a shaded archway or niche set into a plain wall. The print is monochromatic, with dark lines on white paper.