| agent |
Raphael (Italian painter, 1483-1520) |
| culturalContext |
Italian |
| date |
1509-1510 (creation) |
| description |
The Stanza della segnatura ("Room of the Signatura") was the first to be decorated
by Raphael's frescoes. It was the study housing the library of Julius II, and the
council chamber for the Apostolic Signatura, where most of the important papal documents
were signed and sealed. The artist's concept brings into harmony the spirits of Antiquity
and Christianity and reflects the contents of the pope's library with themes of theology
(the Disputa, west wall), philosophy (School of Athens, east wall), jurisprudence,
and the poetic arts (Parnassus, north wall). The theme of this room is worldly and
spiritual wisdom and the harmony which Renaissance humanists perceived between Christian
teaching and Greek philosophy. Toward the end of 1509, Raphael began work on the east
wall. This second painting, entitled The School of Athens, represents the degrees
of knowledge or the truth acquired through reason. Tradition holds that many of the
philosophers, mathematicians and scientists are portraits of Raphael's contemporaries
and that he included a self-portrait as well.
Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/ (accessed 12/16/2013) [description source] |
| inscription |
|
| location |
Vatican, The (Rome, Holy See, Lazio, Italy) [repository]
Apostolic Palace, Stanza della segnatura [location note] |
| material |
pigment on plaster |
| measurements |
196.9 in (height) x 275.6 in (width) |
| relation |
|
| rights |
|
| source |
Core 4 Sample Database (VCat) |
| stateEdition |
|
| stylePeriod |
Renaissance |
| subject |
allegorical; historical; portraits; scientific or medical; Classical education; Humanism |
| technique |
fresco painting (technique) |
| textref |
|
| title |
School of Athens [cited, true, en]
Philosophy [cited, false, en]
Scuola di Atene [cited, false, it] |
| worktype |
paintings (visual works); frescoes (paintings) |
|
|
|
| image courtesy Wikimedia Commons |
|
