Sometime from 1509 to 1511, Raphael was commissioned to paint frescoes to decorate the rooms of the Stanze di Raffaello in the Vatican Apostolic Palace. There were four frescoes, representing four branches of knowledge: poetry, philosophy, theology, and law. This particular painting represents philosophy.
Because the original painting is a fresco and shows no visible corners, this reproduction contains the figures of the school as painted by Raphael plus the architectural setting from the photograph to form the painting. For Kuadros, the decorative details of the building itself are beautiful and that is why we have decided to include them in the reproduction.
The School of Athens is ranked no. 99 on the list of famous paintings
