Astronomy: an angel astride the cosmos, looking heavenward.

This engraving depicts one of the figures from the dome of the Chigi Chapel, representing the angelic intelligence that moves the celestial spheres. The figure is shown in a dynamic, foreshortened pose with hands resting on the curvature of a star-studded firmament. In this 17th-century print version, an ornate coat of arms and a Latin dedication to the Duke of Burgundy occupy the lower half of the composition.

The artwork belongs to a decorative cycle in the Chigi Chapel that synthesizes Christian theology with Neoplatonic cosmology, specifically the idea of the 'Music of the Spheres.' It reflects the Renaissance belief, popularized by Marsilio Ficino, that the planetary bodies are governed by divine intelligences or angels who translate the will of God into the motions of the heavens.