Raphael, School of Athens, 1509-11. detail, Vatican Museums (2) (48759262751)

The central figures are Plato, holding his Timaeus and pointing toward the heavens, and Aristotle, holding his Ethics and gesturing toward the earth. They are surrounded by historical thinkers such as Pythagoras working on a tablet, Euclid demonstrating geometry with a compass, and Diogenes lounging on the steps. The scene is set within a vast, barrel-vaulted architectural space inspired by Roman baths and the burgeoning design of St. Peter's Basilica.

This fresco represents the harmony between different schools of thought, particularly the synthesis of Neoplatonism and Aristotelianism that defined the intellectual climate of the Renaissance Papal court. It serves as a visual manifestation of the 'prisca theologia' or ancient wisdom, linking classical philosophy directly to the foundations of Western knowledge.