Raphael, Portrait of Michelangelo, School of Athens, 1509-11. detail, Vatican Museums (48759268311)

A bearded man sits in a pensive, melancholic pose on a set of marble steps, leaning his head on his hand while writing on a stone block. He wears a heavy lavender tunic and short boots, appearing isolated from the surrounding crowd of philosophers. This figure is widely recognized as a tribute to Michelangelo, whose own brooding personality mirrored the 'weeping philosopher' Heraclitus.

Heraclitus represents the pre-Socratic doctrine of eternal change and the cosmic Logos; his portrayal here reflects Renaissance Neoplatonic ideas regarding the 'Saturnine' temperament, a state of melancholy believed to be essential to creative and philosophical genius.