This website presents our knowledge and research on this important aspect of the Royal Collection. As of April 2026 it will not be regularly updated and new research on this topic will sit within the main website.

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Vatican Frescoes

Vatican Frescoes

    AFTER RAPHAEL (URBINO 1483-ROME 1520)

    Astronomy

    c.1860-76

    Carbon print | 47.5 x 36.7 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 852651

    A photograph of one of the four rectangular frescoes painted on the vault of the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican. The female figure, shown as she bends over the celestial globe, is generally identified as an embodiment of the science of Astronomy, but has also been interpreted as the allegory of the Universe or the Prime Mover.

    • Creator(s)

      After Raphael (Urbino 1483-Rome 1520) (artist)

    • 47.5 x 36.7 cm (sheet of paper)

    • Acquired for the Prince Consort's Raphael Collection (c.1860-76)

    • Subject(s)
      • Places
        • Europe
          • Italy
            • Lazio [Italy]
              • Rome [Lazio]
                • Vatican City [Rome]
                  • Vatican Palace [Vatican City]
                    • Stanza della Segnatura [Vatican Palace]
                      • Vatican-Stanza della Segnatura-Ceiling
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