Discovering Raphael: Room of the Segnatura

Posted On August 21, 2020

When visiting the Vatican Museums, a stop in Raphael’s Rooms is mandatory. Especially this year, with the 500^th anniversary of his death.
Over the next weeks we will show you Raphael’s main works in the Vatican with our column “Discovering Raphael”.
Let’s start with the Room of the Segnatura.

Originally used as library and private office of Pope Julius II, this room hosted the highest court of the Holy See: the Segnatura Gratiae et Iustitiae.
It was the first work Raphael did in the Vatican, between 1508 and 1511. The Pope himself suggested the iconographic project, to represent the three categories of the human spirit: Truth, Beauty and Good.
The ceiling shows allegories of Philosophy (School of Athens), Theology (Disputation of the Holy Sacrament), Poetry (The Parnassus) and Justice (Cardinal and Theological Virtues).

School of Athens

Definitely, the most famous fresco in the Room of the Segnatura. It represents the rational Truth, with philosophers of ancient times discussing their ideas.
In the center, central figures of the composition, we find Plato pointing upwards and holding his book Timeus, while Aristotle stands by his side holding his book Ethics.
Among the other characters portrayed, we can see Anaximander, Pythagoras, Archimedes, Aeschines with Socrates, Alcibiades, Zeno, Parmenides and even Heraclitus. In their faces we can recognize some historical persons, contemporaries of Raphael. Do you recognize them all?

Disputation of the Holy Sacrament

Facing the School of Athens, this fresco shows the theological Truth.
The Most Holy Trinity (God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit) stands in the center on the clouds. Around him, patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament, with apostles and martyrs as well. We can recognize St. Peter, Adam, St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, David, the Virgin Mary, Moses, and St. Paul.
On earth, the monstrance sits on an altar, surrounded by theologians debating over Transubstantiation.

The Parnassus

Corresponding with Beauty, Raphael painted the Parnassus. It was a real challenge, since the surface of the wall is parted by a window. This brought him to create an irregular composition, differently from the others.
The scene takes place on the Mount Parnassus, where according to mythology Apollo dwelled. The ancient Sun-God stands in the center playing a lyre and surrounded by the nine Muses, with Calliope and Erato next to him.
All around, we see ancient and modern poets like Homer, Virgil, Euterpe, Dante, Boccaccio, Ariosto.

Cardinal and Theological Virtues

Related to Good, Raphael illustrated the Cardinal Virtues as three women.
Fortitude, on the left, wearing an armor and caressing a lion, while Prudence sits in the center and Temperance on the right. The fourth cardinal virtue, Justice, is not painted because she stands in the ceiling with the other allegories.
Around them, Raphael placed five putti, three of whom represent the Theological Virtues: Charity, Hope and Faith.