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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileChrist sits enthroned in a golden radiance, displaying his wounds while surrounded by a multitude of angels and cherubim. Below him, the Holy Spirit appears as a dove, flanked by four putti holding open copies of the Gospels with visible Latin text. On the far right, the figure of Moses is visible holding the tablets of the Law inscribed with Hebrew characters.
This composition represents the High Renaissance synthesis of Christian theology and Neoplatonic thought, illustrating the hierarchical descent of divine truth from God to the earthly realm. As the counterpart to 'The School of Athens', it embodies the 'Truth of Revelation' as understood by the humanist circle of the Papal court, which included thinkers influenced by the works of Marsilio Ficino.
SECVNDVM MATTHÆVM / GENE / RATI / ONIS / IESV INITIVM / EVAN / GELII / IESV / CHRISTI SECVN / DVUM / LVCAM / IN DIE / BVS / HERODIS / REGIS / IVDÆÆ IN PRIN / CIPIO / ERAT / VER / BVM
Translation
According to Matthew: The book of the generation of Jesus; The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; According to Luke: In the days of Herod, King of Judea; In the beginning was the Word.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic theories on the hierarchy of being and divine light heavily influenced the spatial and theological organization of Raphael's Vatican frescoes.
Object
Oil on panel
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Foto Volker Simons mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Max Ernst Museums Brühl des LVR 2014-03-29 16:39:21
2592 × 1944 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.