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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThe central figure is a muscular, winged angel in mid-flight, reaching forward to grasp the edge of a large rectangular tablet or book. Two smaller peripheral sketches on the same sheet detail the arrangement of heavy robes and the positioning of a figure's torso and arms. The drawing uses fine red chalk hatching to define the anatomy and the dramatic sense of motion required for the fresco's composition.
Sibyls were viewed by Renaissance Neoplatonists as pagan counterparts to the Old Testament prophets, representing the 'prisca theologia' or ancient wisdom that foretold Christian revelation. This study illustrates the role of angels as divine intermediaries who transmit celestial knowledge to these ancient seers, a theme central to the intellectual program of the Chigi Chapel.
19
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's work on 'prisca theologia' revived the status of the Sibyls as legitimate sources of divine prophecy within a Christian-Platonic framework.
Lactantius, Divine Institutes
This late antique text was the primary source for Renaissance artists and scholars regarding the number and specific prophecies of the Sibyls.
Object
Oil on panel
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://sammlungenonline.albertina.at/ "Raffaello Santi" (KÜNSTLER_IN) Graphische Sammlung (Sammlung)
850 × 633 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.