The School of Athens
Raphael, 1509–1511
Raphael's Vatican fresco — Plato, Aristotle, and the company of great minds.
About this work
Raphael painted The School of Athens between 1509 and 1511 for Pope Julius II, as part of the decoration of the rooms now called the Stanze di Raffaello in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. It is a fresco, about 5 × 7.7 metres, in the Stanza della Segnatura, where it stands for philosophy opposite La Disputa (theology). Plato and Aristotle walk at the centre of a gathering of ancient philosophers, mathematicians and scientists. Most identifications are uncertain, but figures commonly named include Socrates, Pythagoras, Archimedes, Heraclitus, Euclid, Averroes and Zarathustra; Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo are thought to appear as Plato and Heraclitus, and Raphael put his own face beside Ptolemy. The figure in white on the left, the only one looking straight out at the viewer, has never been identified with certainty. The fresco is known for its accurate perspective, which Raphael learned from Leonardo, and is regarded as one of his best-known works and an embodiment of the classical spirit of the Renaissance.
Sources: Wikipedia · Wikimedia Commons
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 19,376 × 13,171 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 129 × 87 in
- Sizes
- Small (20 × 14 in) · $100 · 941 ppi
Medium (24 × 16 in) · $150 · 807 ppi
Large (36 × 24 in) · $300 · 538 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of The School of Athens?
Here. The School of Athens is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (20 × 14 in) for $100, Medium (24 × 16 in) for $150 and Large (36 × 24 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for The School of Athens?
The file is 19,376 × 13,171 px, so every size is sharp: even Large (36 × 24 in) prints at 538 ppi. Choose Large (36 × 24 in) for a large wall; Small (20 × 14 in) suits a narrower space.
Is it legal to print The School of Athens?
Yes. The School of Athens is in the public domain: its copyright, if it ever had one, expired long ago. In the United States a faithful photograph of a public-domain painting does not create a new copyright (Bridgeman v. Corel, 1999), so the image can be printed and sold freely.
