When the rooms were named, years after Raphael had painted them; the Stanza della Segnatura was the room in which the Signatura gratiae was held, a papal court where the pope sat as judge. This was a division of the supreme tribunal of the Curia that the pope presided over. During the time of Julius II however, as mentioned, the room was most likely used as a library, especially due to how known his devotion to literature now is. The room as a whole represents the idea of knowledge in its entirety. The ceiling features female personifications of Theology, Poetry, Philosophy, and Justice. The frescoes on the walls below these; Disputa, Parnassus, School of Athens, and personifications of the Cardinal Virtues respectively, further their symbolism.2 While this room clearly displays an intellectual theme, the subjects of the individual pieces may not at once seem to connect well with each other, particularly the Disputation of the Most Holy Sacrament, better known as the Disputa, a very religious piece, and the School of Athens, a piece featuring philosophical personas. However Raphael was able to plan these two frescoes in a way in which they maintain their own meanings, and yet play off each other so well that they become complimentary to each other on facing walls.

1. School of Athens 1
Running head: SCHOOL OF ATHENS AND DISPUTA: TWO TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE
School of Athens and Disputa: Two Types of Knowledge
Gina M. Martino
John Cabot University

2. School of Athens 2
School of Athens and Disputa: Two Types of Knowledge
It is almost impossible to think of the Vatican without the Sistine Chapel within the
Vatican museum coming to mind, but the Vatican museum is home to some of the greatest works
of art by some of the most notable artists. One particular section that demands notice, are
Raphael’s Stanze, a series of rooms with in which all the walls are covered by frescos by
Raphael and his workshop, commissioned by Pope Julius II. There are four rooms in total, the
two commissioned by Pope Julius II, and two commissioned by Pope Leo X. When Julius II
first set out to have the rooms painted, he actually commissioned a team of artists, but Raphael
impresses the pope so much with his other works that the pope releases the team and gives the
entire commission to Raphael. The first room, the Stanza della Segnatura (1509-1511) was the
first room for Raphael to work on, and the only room to be completed during Julius II’s lifetime.
Most likely, this room was used by Julius II as a library and featured art with the themes of
theology, poetry, philosophy, and justice. The second room Julius II commissioned was the
Stanza d’Eliodoro (1512-1514), but Raphael did not complete this room until after the death of
Julius II when Leo X was pope. This room featured frescoes that gave examples of heavenly
intervention against all those who would oppose the authority of the church.1 The next room
commissioned was the Stanza dell’Incendio (1514-1517) the purpose of which is not certain.
(Jones) The final room was the Stanza del Costantino (1519-1525), which was used as a
banqueting hall and for official audiences, and is the only room in which all four of the frescoes
are of the same subject, the Emperor Constantine.2 Each room contains four frescoes, one on
each wall. Some take up an entire wall while others forced Raphael to deal with large windows
and inconvenient door spaces. Each room has certain frescoes that tend to be the most famous,
1
Hartt, 1987, p. 526.
2
Jones, 1983, p. 239.

3. School of Athens 3
and these frescoes are usually what the room is named for. The only exception to this is the
Stanza della Segnatura.1
When the rooms were named, years after Raphael had painted them; the Stanza della
Segnatura was the room in which the Signatura gratiae was held, a papal court where the pope
sat as judge. This was a division of the supreme tribunal of the Curia that the pope presided
over. During the time of Julius II however, as mentioned, the room was most likely used as a
library, especially due to how known his devotion to literature now is. The room as a whole
represents the idea of knowledge in its entirety. The ceiling features female personifications of
Theology, Poetry, Philosophy, and Justice. The frescoes on the walls below these; Disputa,
Parnassus, School of Athens, and personifications of the Cardinal Virtues respectively, further
their symbolism.2 While this room clearly displays an intellectual theme, the subjects of the
individual pieces may not at once seem to connect well with each other, particularly the
Disputation of the Most Holy Sacrament, better known as the Disputa, a very religious piece, and
the School of Athens, a piece featuring philosophical personas. However Raphael was able to
plan these two frescoes in a way in which they maintain their own meanings, and yet play off
each other so well that they become complimentary to each other on facing walls.
Probably the most striking difference between these two works is the fact that the Disputa
features two tiers, the terrestrial and the celestial,34while the School of Athens, though containing
various leveling, features a gathering of individuals who are within an equal space. Were the
figures to come to life, those on the lower level and those on the upper level could move amongst
each other. No matter how famous or revered a philosopher may be above his fellow
1
Hart, 1987, p. 21.
2
Jones, 1983, p. 50.
3
Nahmad & Centi, 1983, p. 10.

4. School of Athens 4
philosophers, they are essentially all equals. Disputa’s tiers functions not necessarily to demote
those who are depicted within the terrestrial tier, but as a way to elevate the most spiritual and
revered of the Christian doctrine within the celestial realm. The figure of Jesus is surrounded
by figures from the old and new testaments and those immediately circling him are Mary to the
left, the Holy Spirit below, St. John the Baptist to the right, and finally God above. Indeed,
within the Christian world, what higher elevation is there?
Even though religion does and did exist in the minds of philosophers, one must admit that
the overall imagery of The School of Athens deals with the philosophy, math, and scientists that
so many of the great philosophers depicted were most known for. They debate these subjects
amongst themselves in small groups, and one can see the basic debates within the props they
hold. The Disputa on the other hand, while still a debate, it is a debate over the religious
doctrine. In the center and directly in line with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is the Eucharist.
As the theology in religion centers around the life of Jesus, so does the scene center around the
metaphorical “body of Christ.”
One of the most perplexing aspects of the School of Athens is that Raphael has chosen to
paint subjects that have never before been seen. For many of these individuals, Raphael has
used the visages of his contemporaries in the guise of the ancient philosophers. Even those that
are not linked to a contemporary however, are still individuals who are unfamiliar and
un-represented before the School of Athens. Art historians have debated for years over the
some of the individuals depicted and it is unlikely that we will ever know for sure who each and
every one of the philosophers is. The Disputa however, features figures who are either recent
enough to have had their portraits or likenesses displayed previously, or for those who are not,
are depicted in ways in which they have been by previous artists. In the case of six particular

5. School of Athens 5
individuals within the Disputa, their names are actually written in gold lettering onto their
haloes.1
Probably the most noticeable feature of a painting, especially to one who has studied art
in any capacity, is the focal point. Keeping with the religious theme of the Disputa, the focal
point of the entire painting rests on the Eucharist. The focal point of the School of Athens is set
in the opening behind Plato and Aristotle, on the sky itself. This could illicit one of two
theories. The first, being simply that the study of philosophy provides one with the truth, and
with freedom from the tribulations of the mortal world. The sky is light, and carefree. The
other theory, and the one that serves to link it best with the Disputa, is that to truly understand
philosophy, one should look to god, that god is the greatest philosopher of all.2 In this way, the
perspectives could be seen as a difference or a similarity between the two facing frescoes,
especially if the rest of the aspects of perspective are taken into account. Displayed within
perspectival arches as is common among all but one of the four rooms, they both also display a
grid pattern on the floor.
Despite the many apparent differences that can readily be identified, the essence of the
two frescoes is the same. As they are in a room dedicated to knowledge and education, the both
signify knowledge and truth. The Disputa conveys the idea of truth within divine relation and
theological learning while The School of Athens embodies the idea of truth as a result of rational
thought and secular learning.34 They are, of course, two different branches of knowledge, but
knowledge none-the-less. Being featured in the papal apartments, the two areas of knowledge
can also be seen as an example of knowledge before and after Christ.
1
Ettlinger, 1987, p. 86.
2
Orth Bell, 1995, p. 646.
3
De Vecchi, 2002, p. 154-167.

6. School of Athens 6
Apart from the similarity in theme, there is a definite rhetorical continuity between the
frescoes. Both images feature grouping within the larger groups. Within these smaller
groups, individuals are arguing, explaining, questioning, and discussing. There is also a clear
use of symbolism to show who individuals are, from the laurel leaf crown upon the head of
Dante in the Disputa1 to props held by the various philosophers in School of Athens which relate
to their area of study. A common symbol between both scenes is the use of books to identify
individuals. The two central figures of School of Athens are so easily identified by scholars
because Plato holds a copy of the Timaeus, his work on cosmology, and Aristotle holds his
Nichomachean Ethics, a book in which the nature of humanity and morals are discussed. In the
foreground, Pythagoras is preoccupied by a book featuring the fundamental symbols of musical
harmony.2 Across the room, Jerome reads over his version of the Bible, Moses holds the
Tables of the Law,3 The City of God lies at the feat of Augustine, and the Moralia is near
Gregory.4
Even further beyond these similarities however, beyond composition, meaning, and
rhetoric, these two paintings are connected to one another. In a way, these two frescoes are not
separate pieces, but two parts of a whole. Some even theorize that two of the figures near the
center of the Disputa are Plato (to the right of the alter, gesturing upwards) and Aristotle (to the
left of the alter with his back to the foreground), having continued the path straight out of the
School of Athens and into the Disputa. In this way, the two individuals who formed the crucial
foundations for philosophy have moved beyond the limited knowledge of the spiritual world that
was available in their times and have entered into the world of the Christian God and a world
1
Nahmad & Centi, 1983, p. 10.
2
De Vecchi, 2002, p. 154-167.
3
Nahmad & Centi, 1983, p. 10.
4
Ettlinger, 1987, p. 11.

7. School of Athens 7
filled with the Christian religion. Again, as these frescoes are featured in papal apartments,
these two philosophers who were doomed to limbo in the mind of Dante have transcended time
and thus bear witness to the greatest knowledge of all.

8. School of Athens 8
References
De Vecchi, P. (2002). Raphael. London: Abbeville Press Publishers.
Ettlinger, L. D. & and Ettlinger H. S. (1987). Raphael. Oxford: Phaidon Press Limited.
Hartt, F. & Wilkins, D. G. (1987). History of Italian Renaissance Art. New
Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Jones, R. & Penny, N. (1983). Raphael. London: Yale University Press.
Nahmad, E. & Centi, L. (1983). Raphael in the Vatican. Italy: Officine Grafiche.
Orth Bell, D. (1995). New identifications in Raphael’s School of Athens. The Art
Bulletin 77(4), 639-646.

9. School of Athens 9
Figure 1

10. School of Athens 10
Figure 2

11. School of Athens 11
Figure 3

12. School of Athens 12
Figure Captions
Figure 1. School of Athens
Figure 2. Disputation of the Most Holy Sacrament
Figure 3. The ceiling of the Stanza della Segnatura