The School of Athens
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Raphael)
1509-1511
Stanze di Raffaello, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
Classical antiquity’s most renowned mathematicians, scientists, and philosophers are gathered together here in Raphel’s fresco, commissioned by Julius II. People of note in this piece include Plato and Aristotle, caught in mid-conversation at the direct center of the work. On the lower left portion of the piece sits Pythagoras, with his face deeply hidden in a book. Ptolemy stands on the bottom right of the piece, holding a globe, directly above Euclid as he demonstrates why he is known as the “Father of Geometry.”
Can anyone think back to their Art History courses and recall where Raphael has included himself in the painting?
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