Parmigianino, copia della scuola di atene, windsor

This drawing is a study after Raphael's fresco in the Vatican, depicting the foundational thinkers of the Western tradition. In the center, Plato holds his 'Timaeus' and points toward the heavens, while Aristotle holds his 'Ethics' and gestures toward the earth. Surrounding them are various groups representing different branches of knowledge, including Pythagoras writing at the lower left and Euclid demonstrating geometry at the lower right.

This composition is the definitive visual statement of the 'Prisca Theologia' or 'Ancient Wisdom'—the Renaissance belief that a single, unified thread of truth runs through all classical philosophy. It celebrates the reconciliation of Neoplatonic metaphysics and Aristotelian natural philosophy, which provided the intellectual framework for the Western esoteric tradition.