Rape of Ganymede Drawing by Rembrandt

The drawing for the Rape of Ganymede also survives at Dresden, and it can be seen how the artist refined the original bold conception into the very carefully composed canvas. This would seem to have been his working method - that is, to have many different ideas put down rapidly on paper, and then to choose the most felicitous composition to turn into the finished painting. The expression on the child's face is particularly striking, but the drawing has much less humour than the finished picture.