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On the ceiling of the Carafa Chapel four sibyls are depicted with their prophecies on banners. In the centre one can see the crest of the donor, Cardinal Oliviero Carafa.
The sibyl's placement is in part explained by the subject matter of the picture walls beneath them. Directly above the Assumption of the Virgin is the Cumean Sibyl, famous for prophesying the coming of Christ depicted in the Annunciation. Above the scenes from the life of Thomas Aquinas, in one of which the crucified Christ plays an important role, sits the Hellespontian Sibyl, whose prophesy refers to Christ's death on the cross. The pronouncements of the remaining two, the Delphic and Tiburtine sibyls, refer to the birth of Christ only in general terms.
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