Raphael, School of Athens, 1509-11. detail, Vatican Museums (4) (48759444347)

The image shows the face of the artist Raphael in a black beret looking directly at the viewer, standing next to a man in a white hat often identified as the painter Sodoma. To their left, the figure of Ptolemy is seen from behind wearing a gold radiate crown, while the hand and purple robes of Zoroaster are visible just above them. This group represents the culmination of mathematical and cosmological knowledge in the ancient world.

This section of the fresco illustrates the Renaissance synthesis of ancient wisdom, specifically the 'prisca theologia' or ancient theology. The presence of Zoroaster reflects the period's intense interest in the Chaldean Oracles and Neoplatonism, while Ptolemy represents the foundational Greek astronomical tradition.