Art / Raphael Rooms

"The School of Athens", the most iconic frescof of the set.

Raphael Sanzio was commissioned in 1508 (or 1509, according to some historians) to decorate with frescoes the rooms in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican in Rome.

The four Raphael Rooms (Italian: Stanze di Raffaello) are the "Room of the Signatura" (Italian: "Stanza della Segnatura"), the first to be painted; the "Hall of Constantine" (Italian: "Sala di Costantino"), the largest of them all; the "Room of Heliodorus" (Italian: "Stanza di Eliodoro"); and "The Room of the Fire in the Borgo" (Italian: "Stanza dell'Incendio del Borgo").

Each room has its four walls adorned by a fresco as well as a variable number painted on the ceiling. They are named after the main subject of the paintings or the most prominent piece. The rest of the walls' surface is occupied by reliefs on wood and plaster.

This set has long been seen as "Raphael's masterpiece and the perfect embodiment of the classical spirit of the Renaissance". In particular, because of the masterful usage of perspective, which Raphael learned from Leonardo da Vinci.

See Seven Virtues for another Renaissance art series that features the Christian cardinal and heavenly virtues. See Sistine Chapel for another extensive series of High Renaissance frescoes at the Vatican.

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This set provides examples of:

In General

• Ink-Suit Actor:
  • "The School of Athens".
    • Plato's appearance is derived from Leonardo da Vinci, whose wizened beard fit well with the wise aesthetic Raphael wanted Plato to have.
    • The grumpy-looking figure in the foreground with the boots is Michelangelo, representing an ancient philosopher who was seen as solitary.
  • The "Borgia Apartment" directly downstairs has the same gimmick, with Pope Alexander's daughter Lucrezia as St. Catherine, his son Cesare as St. Sebastian, and the pope himself kneeling and praying as Jesus flies out of his tomb).
  • It was Pope Julius II who first commissioned Raphael to paint the rooms— he chose the 3rd-floor apartment because he wanted to stomp on the spirit of his old, dead enemy Borgia downstairs. After he died, the project was continued by Pope Leo X (a Medici, the son of Lorenzo the Magnificent). Leo chose as a subject... the accomplishments of previous popes named Leo. On the pope's orders, Raphael depicted Pope Leo III with Leo X's appearance.
• The X of Y: Most titles fit this format.
  • "Hall of Constantine":
    • "The Donation of Constantine"
    • "The Vision of the Cross"
    • "The Battle of Milvian Bridge"
    • "The Baptism of Constantine"
  • "Room of Heliodorus"
    • "Deliverance of Saint Peter"
    • "The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple"
    • "The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila"
  • "The Room of the Fire in the Borgo"
    • "The Oath of Leo III"
    • "Battle of Ostia"
    • "The Coronation of Charlemagne"
  • "Room of the Signatura"
    • "The School of Athens"
    • "Disputation of the Holy Sacrament"

"Hall of Constantine"

1. "The Donation of Constantine" (north wall)
2. "The Vision of the Cross" (east wall)
3. "The Battle of Milvian Bridge" (south wall)
4. "The Baptism of Constantine" (west wall)

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Tropes:

• Color-Coded Patrician: In "The Battle of Milvian Bridge", Roman Emperor Constantine I not only stands in the very foreground of the fresco but he's also the only character wearing golden armor, cape, and crown. The rest of the soldiers on both sides have more muted color palettes or have their chests bare.

"Room of Heliodorus"

1. "Deliverance of Saint Peter" (north wall)
2. "The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple" (east wall)
3. "The Mass at Bolsena" (south wall)
4. "The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila" (west wall)

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Tropes:

• Peace Conference: The Italian authorities know the country doesn't stand a chance at fending off the Huns, so they send Pope Leo I to meet their king, Attila, in order to dissuade him from attacking Italy. This is the historical event depicted by "The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila". Attila is the central figure of the fresco; he and his people agitatedly watch some Christian martyrs appear in the sky. Facing him, therefore having his back turned to the viewer, is the Pope; Leo and other religious authorities stand calmly.

"The Room of the Fire in the Borgo"

1. "The Oath of Leo III" (north wall)
2. "Battle of Ostia" (east wall)
3. "The Fire in the Borgo" (south wall)
4. "The Coronation of Charlemagne" (west wall)

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Tropes:

• Heroic Fire Rescue: Predictably, "The Fire in the Borgo" captures a terrific fire breaking out in the city of Borgo. Several citizens valiantly come to the aid of the victims. On the one hand, the women carry vessels of water on their heads while battling the strong winds produced by the flames. On the other hand, the men (some of them inexplicably naked) guide and carry the victims back to safety. Additionally, the Pope is sort of implied to helping out by praying to the Christian God to save them all.

"Room of the Signatura"

1. "The Parnassus" (north wall)
2. "The School of Athens" (Italian: Scuola di Atene; east wall)
3. "Cardinal and Theological Virtues" (south wall)
4. "Disputation of the Holy Sacrament" (west wall)

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Tropes:

• Allegory: The frescoes in the "Room of the Signatura" represent the four greatest human pursuits.
  • "Disputation of the Holy Sacrament" represents the science of theology by showing the greatest Hebrew and Christian saints fondly regarding the clergy of the time debating around the Holy Eucharist.
  • "The School of Athens" represents philosophy by putting Plato, Aristotle, and every other pagan philosopher in a huge dialogue in an imagined academy of wisdom.
  • "The Parnassus" represents the pursuit of beauty with a concert by Greek god Apollo attended by the Nine Muses and every great poet from Homer to Raphael's contemporary, Ludovico Ariosto.
  • "Cardinal and Theological Virtues" represents the pursuit of goodness with Anthropomorphic Personifications of the four cardinal and three theological virtues resting above two great law-makers, Emperor Justinian and The Pope Gregory IX.
• Anachronism Stew: "The School of Athens" depicts an adult Aristotle in the same building as Socrates, who was executed when Aristotle was 15. Then there's The Cameo from Raphael himself and the Muslim philosopher Averroes, none of whom had access to enough Time Travel to make it to the school on time.
• Aside Glance: In "The School of Athens", the only character who seems to see the viewer is an Italian pretty boy who looks suspiciously like Raphael himself.
• Blind Mistake: In "The Parnassus", Homer, Virgil, and Dante Alighieri are seen engaging with each other, only the blind Homer is looking in the opposite of his fellow poets and is seen reaching out his hands looking for them.
• The Cardinal Virtues: In "Cardinal and Theological Virtues", anthropomorphic personifications of the Christian cardinal virtues (Fortitude, Prudence, and Temperance) are depicted as putti. Justice is present on the fresco across the room, "The Parnassus".
• Creator Cameo: Raphael's self-portrait is hidden in the crowd of Greek philosophers in "The School of Athens"; he's set apart from the others by the Aside Glance he gives to the audience.
• Crucial Cross: "The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament" subtly includes the cross-image by the arrangement of the Trinity (who overcame death and suffering at the crucifixion) in a vertical line while the saints (who had to die to get to Heaven) make up a horizontal line through the top of that. Together, the cross-image shows all those who overcame the earthly strife seen at the bottom of the fresco to find happiness.
• Declarative Finger: This probably goes back to Plato (the quintessential Western philosopher), as depicted on Raphael Sanzio's famous fresco "The School of Athens". Plato's upward-pointing finger is contrasted by Aristotle's downturned palm, which symbolically depicts Plato's abstract view of nature and Aristotle's more empirical way of thinking.
• Divine Birds: "Disputation of the Holy Sacrament", per tradition, depicts the Christian Holy Spirit as a dove with wings spread as if to welcome all of humanity into Heaven. Peculiar to the "Disputation" is that the Spirit's dove is directly below the Father and Christ, making visible the belief that all of them are the same Top God.
• The Eeyore: Among the brightly colored geniuses of "The School of Athens" sharing their knowledge in excitement, the pessimist philosopher Heraclitus bends over a piece of marble, covering his face in shadow, as he looks away from the writing he seems to get no joy from contemplating.
• Good Animals, Evil Animals: In "Cardinal and Theological Virtues", Fortitude is casually petting her lion companion, one of the few animals brave and noble enough to sit beside courage personified.
• Got the Whole World in My Hand:
  • "The School of Athens": Ptolemy and Zoroaster are holding globes of the heavens and the Earth to demonstrate their mastery over the science of astronomy.
  • "Disputation of the Holy Sacrament": The Christian God casually holds the planet in his left hand as he towers over the throne of Heaven.
• Grandpa God: "The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament" differentiates God the Father from God the Son by displaying God the Father as a man with a long grey beard and hair down to his shoulders, presiding over God the Son's throne.
• Heaven Above: In "The School of Athens", Plato points his finger skyward; thus visualizing his philosophical focus on identifying the Metaphysical Form of the Good which produces goodness like the sun produces light.
• Ironic Name: The "The School of Athens" might be titled like that but only 1/3 of the people depicted there are Athenians. (Admittedly, several of the non-Athenians did live and study in Athens—most notably Aristotle, a Macedonian who both studied under Plato in Athens and then founded a school in Athens.)
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Raphael's long hair and effeminate beauty are depicted as a self-portrait in "The School of Athens".
• Our Angels Are Different: In "Disputation of the Holy Sacrament", the angels are blonde infants with tiny white/gold wings. Their role appears to be holding up the clouds of the Fluffy Cloud Heaven to keep the saints afloat and hoisting The Four Gospels above the Eucharist at all times.
• Primary-Color Champion: In "Disputation of the Holy Sacrament", the Catholic devotion to the Virgin Mary and her unique goodness is obvious from her red and blue robes.
• Red Is Heroic: One of the central figures of "The School of Athens" is Plato, who wears a bright red that distinguishes him and his metaphysical ideals from the muted world of his fate.
• Science Is Good: "The School of Athens" idealizes all of the ancient Greek mathematicians, physicists, and philosophers as members of a single beautiful university. A special honor goes to Aristotle, who represents earthly knowledge with his downward gesture, who is walking towards the audience alongside Plato. They are walking right into the fresco across the wall from the "The School of Athens" to "The Disputation of the Sacrament", therefore indicating science and reason can lead one to the truth and goodness of the Christian Christ in the Eucharist.
• Seven Heavenly Virtues: In "Cardinal and Theological Virtues", anthropomorphic personifications of the Christian theological virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity) are depicted as putti.

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