Twee caryatiden, onder de verdrijving van Heliodorus, RP-T-00-3762

These two figures are rendered in a sculptural style, standing on stone plinths as if they were carved elements of a building. The figure on the left points with an outstretched arm while holding a tall staff or lantern, while the figure on the right leans gracefully against a vertical pillar. The artist uses white heightening on a blue-grey ground to simulate the three-dimensional appearance of marble statues.

These figures reflect the High Renaissance effort to integrate Vitruvian architectural theory—specifically the idea of the human body as a proportional microcosm—into the sacred and political spaces of the Vatican. This synthesis of classical form and divine order was a central tenet of the Neoplatonic thought that influenced the papal court of Julius II.