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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileA metalpoint drawing on prepared paper featuring three distinct figure studies. A detailed head of a woman in three-quarter view looking downward is the central focus, while a second profile below it gazes upward in a pose of inspiration. To the right, a gestural sketch captures the form of a figure in a crouched or squatting position.
These sketches are linked to the development of figures for the Stanza della Segnatura, possibly representing 'Poetry' or 'Philosophy.' This room remains the supreme visual expression of Renaissance Neoplatonism, attempting to harmonize the pagan wisdom of antiquity with Christian revelation.
Marsilio Ficino
Raphael's work in the Vatican, for which these are studies, provides the visual architecture for the Neoplatonic synthesis of faith and reason advocated by Ficino and the Platonic Academy.
The School of Athens
The drawing is a preparatory study by the artist for the mural cycle that defines the Renaissance philosophical canon.
Object
Oil on panel
allegory
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
https://collections.ashmolean.org/
800 × 1184 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on March 31, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.