The Art of the Vatican

The fresco is arranged in a complex geometric pattern with a central square showing a winged figure manipulating a celestial globe. Surrounding this center are four rectangular panels depicting the Fall of Man, the Judgment of Solomon, Apollo and Marsyas, and an allegory of Astronomy. Four circular medallions in the corners contain personifications of Theology, Philosophy, Justice, and Poetry.

This decorative program represents the peak of the High Renaissance effort to harmonize classical antiquity with Christian doctrine through Neoplatonic philosophy. The central figure of the Primum Mobile (the First Mover) illustrates the cosmological belief in a divine order that governs both the physical stars and human intellectual pursuits.