Ecole-Athenes-carton-Ambrosiana-3

This charcoal and chalk drawing shows two figures from the far right of Raphael's famous composition. The elderly Zoroaster holds a celestial globe representing the stars, while the figure of Ptolemy, wearing a crown and seen from behind, holds a globe of the earth.

This pairing represents the synthesis of ancient Eastern wisdom and Western science. To Renaissance thinkers, Zoroaster was a primary figure in the 'prisca theologia' (ancient theology), while Ptolemy provided the mathematical basis for understanding the physical cosmos.