Raphael, Transfiguration, 1518-20,detail ; Vatican Museums (1) (48758579448)

In this dramatic scene, the nine Apostles remaining at the foot of Mount Tabor are confronted by a family seeking a cure for a young boy in the throes of demonic possession. The Apostles appear agitated and powerless, with several pointing upward to the mountaintop where the Transfiguration of Christ is occurring. The composition is marked by a sharp contrast between the shadows of the human world and the intense light emanating from the divine event above.

This work is frequently analyzed as a Neoplatonic allegory of the 'divided line,' representing the chasm between the suffering, shadow-filled material world and the luminous, intelligible realm of the divine. It reflects the influence of the Roman Neoplatonists, particularly Egidio da Viterbo, who viewed the Transfiguration as a key moment where the soul's ascent to God is made manifest.