Rafael - Bandeira processional

God the Father supports the cross of the crucified Jesus within a luminous, almond-shaped mandorla, while the Holy Spirit appears as a small dove. Below, the plague saints Sebastian (bound on the left) and Roch (kneeling on the right) look upward in prayer within a rocky landscape. The painting is a processional banner and shows significant surface wear and paint loss typical of its age and usage.

This early work by Raphael exemplifies the Renaissance use of the mandorla (vesica piscis) to represent the intersection of the divine and earthly realms through sacred geometry. The tripartite representation of the Trinity was a central focus for Renaissance Neoplatonists like Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, who sought to reconcile Christian doctrine with ancient philosophical triads.