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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThe composition is split into two levels: an upper heavenly sphere where Christ sits enthroned between the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, and a lower earthly sphere where scholars and popes gather around an altar. A vertical axis aligns God the Father, the crucified Christ, the dove of the Holy Spirit, and the consecrated Host in a monstrance. Notable figures such as Dante Alighieri and various Doctors of the Church engage in discussion while চার cherubim hold open the four Gospels.
Commissioned for the Stanza della Segnatura, this work represents 'Theology' and stands opposite the 'School of Athens,' illustrating the Renaissance Neoplatonic synthesis of revealed truth and human reason. It visualizes the hierarchical emanation of the Divine Word (Logos) from the Father through the Son into the physical substance of the Eucharist, reflecting the influence of thinkers like Marsilio Ficino.
SECVN VM MAT HEV LIBER GENERA TIONIS INITIV EVANGE MARCI IESV XPI SECVN DVM LVCAM FVIT IN DIE BVS IN PRIN CIPIO ER AT VERB VM ET VE RBVM ER EPISTOLAE MORALIVM
Translation
According to Matthew: The book of the generation... Beginning of the Gospel of Mark: [of] Jesus Christ... According to Luke: There was in the days... In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was... Epistles [Book of] Morals
Dante Alighieri
Dante is depicted among the theologians, and the arrangement of the heavenly saints on clouds reflects the celestial hierarchies of the 'Paradiso'.
Marsilio Ficino
The painting embodies Ficino's 'Theologia Platonica', which sought to harmonize Christian doctrine with Neoplatonic metaphysics.
Object
Oil on panel
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
See below.
3258 × 2349 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.