Raffaello sanzio, visione di ezechiele, 1516-18 ca. 04

A divine figure is carried through a golden sky by a group of winged creatures known as the Tetramorph. On the darkened earth below, the small figure of Ezekiel is illuminated by a single, powerful beam of light descending from the clouds. The composition emphasizes the vast scale and power of the celestial realm compared to the human observer.

Ezekiel's vision is the foundation of Merkabah (Chariot) mysticism, a major branch of early Jewish and later Christian Kabbalah focusing on the throne of God and the celestial hierarchy. The four creatures of the Tetramorph were often correlated in esoteric thought with the four elements, the four fixed signs of the zodiac, and the four humors.