RAFFAELLO Sanzio
(b. 1483, Urbino, d. 1520, Roma)

The School of Athens (detail)

1509
Fresco
Stanza della Segnatura, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican

Standing in alcoves on either side of the arch, the classical deities Apollo and Minerva represent the supremacy of reason and the spirit over passion and the desires of the senses. Apollo (shown here) can be recognized by his traditional symbol, the lyre. In the Parnassus Raphael has him playing a contemporary instrument, the lira da braccio.




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