The Ceiling of the Room of the Heliodorus - by Raphael

The ceiling of the Room of Heliodorus spans the room like the vault of heaven. This impression is created not only by its particular shape and deep blue color but also by the four main scenes, each of which depicts a divine apparition from the Old Testament. The first scene, in terms of the Bible's chronology, is the appearance of God to the kneeling Noah after the flood (Genesis 8:15-18). In the background, Noah's wife can be seen leaving the ark with their young son. The field to the left shows Abraham about to sacrifice his son Isaac and the intervention of the angel sent by God (Genesis 22:1-12). Abraham wears voluminous robes whose flaming orange color heightens the drama of the scene. The painting opposite depicts Jacob and his ladder of angels. At the top, God appears to the dreaming Jacob in the midst of a golden cloud and promises new land for him and his family (Genesis 28:11-16). The fourth field tells of Moses and the burning bush, in the midst of which a mighty vision of God appears and commands the astonished Moses to lead his people out of Egypt (Exodus 3:1-12). The magnificent frame decorations are by members of Raphael's workshop, including the well-known painter Lorenzo Lotto.