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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileDiana is shown as a huntress with a bow and quiver, crowned with a crescent moon and the zodiac sign of Cancer. A winged angelic figure rests above the arc of the lunar sphere, gazing upward toward the higher heavens. This composition is based on Raphael's ceiling frescoes in the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican.
This work illustrates the Renaissance Neoplatonic synthesis where classical deities represent planetary forces governed by angelic intelligences. It maps the Ptolemaic cosmos, specifically identifying the Moon as the lowest sphere and the boundary between the mutable terrestrial world and the eternal celestial realms.
Ra. Urbinas inv. N. Dorigny del. et sculp. Luna Infimus Planeta, Terræ q. proximus. Domus ejus Cancer.
Translation
Raphael of Urbino designed [this]. N. Dorigny drew and engraved [this]. Moon. The lowest planet, and nearest to the Earth. Its house is Cancer.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's 'De vita libri tres' discusses the psychological and spiritual influences of the planets and the role of celestial spirits.
Johannes de Sacrobosco
His 'De sphaera mundi' was the standard medieval and Renaissance text describing the arrangement of the planetary spheres depicted here.
Object
Fresco
allegory
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/be/66/9f2f02027f39b1bdc03d61a9933e.jpg Gallery: https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/V0024874.html Wellcome Collection gallery (2018-03-23): https://wellcomecollection.org/works/rsnvku8y CC-BY-4.0
2358 × 3150 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.