Raphael's Sybils

Executed by Raphael around 1515, The Sybils is an extraordinary fresco, over six metres wide, in the basilica of Santa Maria della Pace. The fresco is visible from inside the Sybils' Hall, which is situated on the first floor of the Chiostro del Bramante, along the perimeter of the open gallery (opening hours: 10 am-11 pm). The Hall is equipped with an audio-visual guide illustrating the history and meaning of the fresco.

The work was commissioned by the Sienese banker Agostino Chigi, who was such an influential figure that he was granted permission by the pope to set up two private chapels in the basilica.

The fresco is a fine example of formal beauty and erudition. It is a perfectly integrated composition – with a cherubim at the centre and figures harmoniously arranged in mirror-like fashion, as typical of Raphael – and is rich in symbolic and literary allusions. The most evident connection is that between the angels bearing the divine message and the Sybils who are to announce it to the world, thus becoming essential figures linking their own pagan era to the dawning Christian one.

The importance of the Sybils in Renaissance iconography is further suggested by the fact that they are frequently featured in Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. A comparison between Michelangelo's Sybils and Raphael's once again brings out the stylistic differences between these two great artists of the 16th century. Those of Michelangelo are mighty figures that plastically convey their inner strength. Raphael's, by contrast, are elegant, lyrical, soft and harmonious – like all figures in his paintings.

Capable of mastering the future, thanks to their foresight, the four clairvoyants nonetheless appear variously captivated by the appearance of God's angelic messengers. The four figures thus come to embody the new Christian interpretation of Antiquity.

The four Sybils – the Cumaean, the Persian, the Phrygian, and the Tiburtine – are depicted in a perfectly symmetrical fashion around the arch at the entrance of the second Chigi chapel. Three of them are portrayed as young maidens, and the Cumaean Sybil as an old woman. Next to her Raphael has transcribed Virgil's verses about the new generation that “descends from heaven on high”, further emphasizing the prophecy of Jesus' birth.