VaticanMuseums RaffaelSphinx

A sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of a woman rests atop a red and gold architectural border. She wears a thin blue ribbon in her hair, from which a tall, stylized floral ornament emerges. The figure is part of a larger ornamental scheme set against a plain, light-colored background.

During the Renaissance, the sphinx was interpreted through the lens of Neoplatonism as a guardian of sacred mysteries and a symbol of the enigmatic nature of divine truth. This motif reflects the 16th-century fascination with the 'prisca theologia' and the belief that ancient Egyptian symbols concealed profound philosophical secrets.