Raffaello, Sibille e angeli, 1514, 03

The mature Cumaean Sibyl reaches toward a scroll presented by a hovering angel while holding a closed book in her lap. Beside her, a second Sibyl sits near a winged putto who rests on a stone tablet inscribed with Greek text. The composition illustrates the transmission of divine knowledge from the celestial realm to the ancient prophetesses of the classical world.

This work embodies the Renaissance concept of 'Prisca Theologia,' the belief that ancient pagan sages and sibyls were granted genuine glimpses of Christian truth. It reflects the Neoplatonic efforts to harmonize classical antiquity with Christian doctrine, a central theme in the intellectual circles of the Roman Curia and the Florentine Academy.