Vatican Museums-6 (174)

The central heraldic shield features a golden oak tree, the symbol of the della Rovere family, set against a blue background. Above the shield sit the papal tiara and the crossed keys of Saint Peter, representing the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Two painted stone tablets flank the heraldry, supported by winged putti and bearing Latin inscriptions that date the work to 1512.

Julius II was the primary patron of the Roman High Renaissance, commissioning Raphael to decorate the Vatican apartments with frescoes that synthesized Neoplatonic philosophy with Christian theology. This armorial marks his personal and political presence in the rooms that house 'The School of Athens', a central text-in-paint for the Western esoteric tradition.