Art & Culture · 2

Which Renaissance painter is famous for the ceiling fresco 'The School of Athens' in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace?

Answer

Raphael

Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio) painted The School of Athens between 1509 and 1511 in the Stanza della Segnatura of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. The fresco depicts the great philosophers of antiquity, with Plato and Aristotle at its center.

💡 Did you know?

Raphael painted his own face into The School of Athens, tucking himself into the lower-right corner among the ancient Greek philosophers — an artist's signature hidden in plain sight for centuries.

Other options people guess

  • Bramante
  • Perugino
  • Ghirlandaio

Topics

  • renaissance
  • raphael
  • fresco
  • vatican
  • italian-art

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