This library is built in the open.
If you spot an error, have a suggestion, or just want to say hello — we’d love to hear from you.
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis preparatory drawing captures the moment of divine intervention as an angel appears at the tomb, causing the Roman guards to recoil in shock. The figures are rendered with dynamic, searching lines that emphasize their physical reaction to the supernatural event. The tomb's lid and the angel's wing are lightly indicated, framing the chaotic movement of the soldiers below.
In Renaissance Neoplatonism, the Resurrection was often interpreted as the 'anastasis'—the soul's liberation from the 'tomb' of the material body. Raphael’s focus on the dramatic contrast between the startled physical bodies of the soldiers and the divine messenger reflects the philosophical preoccupation with the intersection of the terrestrial and celestial realms.
14 588 SR / IR UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD / ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM
Marsilio Ficino
Ficino’s Theologia Platonica discusses the immortality of the soul and its eventual ascent, for which the Resurrection served as the primary Christian archetype.
Object
Oil on panel
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://collections.ashmolean.org/
800 × 615 px
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.