Raffaello Sanzio - Dome of the Chigi Chapel - WGA18820

Looking upward into a circular dome, the viewer sees a central medallion of God the Father surrounded by eight rectangular panels. These panels represent the seven planets of the ancient world—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Sol (the Sun), and Luna (the Moon)—plus the sphere of the fixed stars, each personified by a deity and accompanied by an angel. The arrangement reflects a hierarchical cosmos where divine will is transmitted through angelic movers to the planetary bodies.

This work is a primary visual representation of the High Renaissance synthesis of Christian theology and Neoplatonic astrology. It illustrates the Aristotelian and Ptolemaic concept of the 'Intelligences' or angels who govern the motion of the celestial spheres, a theme central to the cosmic visions of Marsilio Ficino and Dante Alighieri.