The Main Themes of Raphael's Stanza della Segnatura and their Unification

Essay from the year 2012 in the subject Art - History of Art, grade: 1,7, University of Essex (Art History), course: The High Renaissance in Italy, language: English, abstract: Raphael must have started with the decoration of the ceiling around 1508, right after he moved from Florence to Rome. The Stanze are a group of four rooms at the Vatican Palace, of which the Stanza della Segnatura is the second, although it is known that it was the first of the rooms being decorated. The purpose of the room is controversial. The name of the Stanza suggests that it was the room where the pope signed important documents . Julius II, however, died shortly after the completion and so art historians believe that this usage dates back to post-Julian times and that the room was originally designed as library. On closer examination, this assumption is practically undeniable in regard to the overall unification of the room. The aim of this essay is to examine the main themes of the frescoes in the Stanza della Segnatura and to explain how Raphael combines them into a unified cycle.