A woman representing philosophy. Etching by B. Audran the elder, c. 1700, after Raphael.

  • Raphael, 1483-1520.
Reference:
25986i
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Credit

A woman representing philosophy. Etching by B. Audran the elder, c. 1700, after Raphael. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Description

The design is the roundel placed above Raphael's "School of Athens" in the Vatican. Cherubs hold up placards with the lettering "Causarum cognitio" (knowledge of causes). The woman holds books entitled "Moralis" and "Na[tural]is", referring to moral philosophy and natural philosophy. Her dress has designs of plants, fishes, scorpions and stars. The front of her seat is formed by sculpted many-breasted figures similar to the Ephesian Artemis: on the chests of each is a scene showing an old man holding out his hand to a woman emerging from water; a scorpion lies between them. The statues bear two birds and a small man on their heads

Physical description

1 print : etching ; border 40.7 x 36.5 cm

Lettering

La philosophie. Peint par Raphael au Vatican dans la chambre de la Signature Bears number: 2

References note

Roger-Armand Weigert, Inventaire du fonds français, graveurs du XVIIe siècle, tome premier, Bibliothèque nationale, Département des estampes, Paris 1939, p. 112, Benoist I Audran no. 60 ("9-62. Quatre figures iconologiques. Au bas de chaque pièce : "Peint par Raphael au Vatican dans la Chambre de la Signature". Pièces ovales, encadrées rectangulairement. Numérotées. H. 0m405 x L. 0m365. 1. La Théologie. — 2. La Philosophie. — 3. La Jurisprudence. — 4. La Poésie. Les 4 pièces, avant toute lettre … Les 4 pièces, état décrit …")

Reference

Wellcome Collection 25986i

Reproduction note

From a set of four by Benoît I Audran after Raphael's frescoes on the vault of the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican

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