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Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis fresco detail depicts two ancient prophetesses, the Phrygian and Tiburtine Sibyls, in dynamic, twisting poses alongside winged angels. The youthful Phrygian Sibyl on the left turns to view a scroll, while the older, veiled Tiburtine Sibyl on the right rests her hand on a large book as she gazes upward. Between them, a putto holds a stone tablet featuring a Latin inscription from Virgil's Eclogues.
Sibyls were central to the Renaissance Neoplatonic concept of 'Prisca Theologia,' representing the belief that ancient pagan wisdom contained prophecies of Christian revelation. This work illustrates the syncretic integration of classical mystery traditions and Hermetic-style prophecy into the high Renaissance intellectual and religious framework.
IAM NOVA PRO GEN ΑΝΟΙ ΞΩ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΤΑ ΝΑ-ΣΤ ΗΣΩ
Translation
Now a new generation... [Latin] I will open and then I will rise. [Greek]
Virgil
The inscription 'IAM NOVA PROGEN' refers to Virgil's 4th Eclogue, famously interpreted by Renaissance thinkers as a pagan prophecy of the birth of Christ.
Lactantius
Lactantius's Divine Institutes is the primary historical source identifying the different Sibyls and recording their prophecies for a Christian audience.
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino's Neoplatonic philosophy popularized the idea that ancient prophets like the Sibyls and Hermes Trismegistus were part of a single lineage of divine truth.
Object
Oil on panel
religious
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.