The School of Athens is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance painter Raphael, made for Pope Julius II in a room of the Vatican Palace now known as the Stanza della Segnatura. It shows ancient Greek philosophers and scientists gathered in a grand architectural space, with Plato and Aristotle at the center, Plato pointing upward and Aristotle gesturing toward the earth. Other figures include Pythagoras, Euclid and Diogenes, and several are thought to be portraits of Raphael's contemporaries, such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. The painting expresses the Renaissance ideal of harmony between ancient philosophy and Christian thought. It is regarded as a high point of the style of the High Renaissance.
Before and after
- 17 May 1510Death of Sandro Botticelli
- from 1511 to 1920Khanate of Khiva
- 1511The Creation of Adam
- 30 July 1511Birth of Giorgio Vasari
- 1512The School of Athens
- 22 February 1512Death of Amerigo Vespucci
- 1513Construction of Palazzo della Cancelleria
- 1513Balboa sights the Pacific
- 9 September 1513Battle of Flodden
More in Art, literature & culture
- 10 November 1517Origins of Protestantism
- 1532Publication of The Prince
- from 1545 to 1648Counter-Reformation
- 1563Construction of Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
- 1565Construction of Agra Fort
- 1622Publication of Othello
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.