Key to Raphael's "School at Athens"

This print provides a visual breakdown of Raphael's famous mural, isolating individual figures and groups to clarify their historical identities. Below the illustrations, a numbered legend lists various identifications proposed by art historians such as Vasari, Bellori, and Passavant. The document maps out the intellectual geography of the fresco, ranging from the central figures of Plato and Aristotle to peripheral groups representing mathematics, astronomy, and music.

The artwork analyzed here is the definitive visual statement of Renaissance Neoplatonism, attempting to reconcile classical Greek philosophy with Western thought. It serves as a visual encyclopedia of the 'prisca theologia' (ancient theology) tradition, notably including figures like Zoroaster and Pythagoras who were central to Renaissance esoteric syntheses.