Ecole-Athenes-carton-Ambrosiana-6

The seated figure of Pythagoras is shown writing in a large volume while a youth holds a tablet before him depicting a diagram of musical and mathematical proportions. Behind him, the philosopher Averroes wears a turban and leans forward to observe the work, illustrating the transmission of Greek thought through Islamic scholarship. This large-scale charcoal and chalk drawing served as the final template for the figures in Raphael's Vatican fresco.

This grouping represents the Pythagorean foundation of Western natural philosophy, specifically the belief that the universe is structured according to harmonic mathematical ratios. It reflects the Renaissance Neoplatonic project of reconciling ancient Greek wisdom with contemporary theology and science.