Vatican Museums-6 (196)

A group of students huddles around the mathematician Euclid, who uses a pair of compasses to demonstrate a geometric proof on a floor slate. To the right, two figures identified as Zoroaster and Ptolemy hold celestial and terrestrial globes, representing the study of the cosmos and the earth. In the background, various philosophers converse within a monumental classical interior, while the cynic Diogenes reclines alone on the marble steps.

This work is the definitive visual statement of Renaissance Neoplatonism, aiming to harmonize classical philosophy with Christian thought. The inclusion of Zoroaster alongside Ptolemy highlights the Renaissance fascination with the 'Prisca Theologia'—an ancient, unified thread of wisdom believed to link the esoteric traditions of the East with Western natural philosophy.