Stanza della segnatura
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The Stanza Della Segnatura is one room in the Palazzí Pontificí that is, the Pope's Palace which forms part of the Vatican City in Rome. Stanza Della Segnatura means Signature Room. Pope Julius II commissioned the artist Raffaello Sanzio of Urbino to paint the four stanze of the Palazzí Pontificí in 1508. His work in the Stanze della Segnatura would take from 1509-1511. Pope Julius II wished the room to be decorated to honour the past officers and followers of the Roman Catholic Church.
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[edit] Stanza della Segnatura
The Stanza della Segnatura ("Room of the Signatura") was the first to be decorated by Raphael's frescoes. It was the study housing the library of Julius II, in which the Signatura of grace tribunal was originally located. The artist's concept brings into harmony the spirits of Antiquity and Christianity and reflects the contents of the pope's library with themes of theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, and the poetic arts, represented in tondi above the lunettes of the walls. The theme of this room is worldly and spiritual wisdom and the harmony which Renaissance humanists perceived between Christian teaching and Greek philosophy. The theme of wisdom is appropriate as this room was the council chamber for the Apostolic Signatura, where most of the important papal documents were signed and sealed.
[edit] Ceiling Frescoes
The ceiling frescoes in the Stanza Della Segnatura comprise of four circular panels which depict female personifications of Poetry, Philosophy, Justice and Theology. The central panel is octagonal and depicts five winged cherubs, also known as putti around a shield at the centre.
[edit] Wall Frescoes
The most famous of the wall frescoes are The School of Athens and La Disputa. La Disputa depicts the debate over transubstantiation.
[edit] Disputation of the Holy Sacrament
The first composition Raphael executed in 1508 or 1509 was the Disputation of the Holy Sacrament, the traditional name for what is really an Adoration of the Sacrament. In the painting, Raphael created an image of the church, which is presented as spanning both heaven and earth.
[edit] The School of Athens
Toward the end of 1509, Raphael began work on the wall opposite the Disputa. This second painting, entitled The School of Athens, represents the truth acquired through reason; it was meant to reside over the philosophical section of Pope Julius II's library. It is perhaps Raphael's most famous fresco.
[edit] The Parnassus
Raphael began the third composition at the end of 1509 or the beginning of 1510. It represents The Parnassus, the dwelling place of the God Apollo and the Muses and the home of poetry, according to classical myth. In the fresco Apollo and the muses are surrounded by poets from antiquity and Raphael's own time.
[edit] The Cardinal Virtues
The two scenes on the fourth wall, executed by the workshop, and the lunette above it, containing the Cardinal Virtues, were painted in 1511. The Cardinal Virtues allegorically presents the virtues of fortitude, prudence and temperance.
[edit] See also
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