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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis 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.
LVDOVICO DVCI BVRGVNDIAE SIC NOMEN LODOICE TVVM ET TVA LILIA FVLGENT Ra. Vrbinas jnu. cum p. S. Pont. et Reg. Christ. Raphaelis Sanctij Vrbinatis Planetarium opere musiuo elaboratum Romae in sacello Chisiorum Templi B. V. Mariae de Populo, delineatum, et jncisum a Nicolao Dorigny gallo, et ab eodem dicatum. N. Dorigny del., Sculp. et excudit Romae Sup. perm. An. 1695.
Translation
To Louis, Duke of Burgundy. Thus, Louis, your name and your lilies shine. Raphael of Urbino designed it. With the privilege of the Holy Pontiff and the Most Christian King. The Planetarium of Raphael Sanzio of Urbino, executed in mosaic work in Rome in the Chigi Chapel of the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the People, drawn and engraved by Nicolas Dorigny, a Frenchman, and dedicated by the same. N. Dorigny drew, engraved, and published in Rome by superior permission in the year 1695.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic commentaries on the soul's ascent through the planetary spheres informed the theological program of the Chigi Chapel.
Plato's Timaeus
The concept of the World Soul and the mathematical harmony of the celestial spheres depicted here is rooted in the Timaeus.
Object
Fresco
allegory
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/6c/d6/845677ea7f83895cd02af6415151.jpg Gallery: https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/V0024870.html Wellcome Collection gallery (2018-03-23): https://wellcomecollection.org/works/xh68mkzj CC-BY-4.0
2574 × 3354 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.