Rafael - Escola de Atenas

At the center, Plato and Aristotle walk together; Plato points upward toward the realm of ideas while Aristotle gestures downward to the empirical world. Groups of scholars surround them, including Pythagoras writing on a tablet near a diagram of musical ratios and Euclid demonstrating a geometric proof with a compass. The architecture features soaring arches and statues of Apollo and Minerva, symbolizing the synthesis of the arts and sciences.

This work is the primary visual representation of Renaissance Neoplatonism and the intellectual reconciliation of ancient philosophy with Christian humanism. It specifically visualizes the transmission of wisdom (prisca theologia) through figures central to the Western esoteric tradition, including Pythagoras and Zoroaster.