FULL IMAGE @ 1770 PIXELS WIDE This is the smallest we could get the image even after scanning at 1600 resolution, which had to be done in 4 steps and piecing the image together; the painting is very wide and covers almost two pages of a standard coffee-table book sized art book. We tried reducing it to 1200 pixels and the figures blurred or became non-distinct. We attempted sharpening but some of the popes' robes blurred and so forth. We left the image as is without "restoration" as it seemed to be okay with a few cracks  and discoloration showing, given the immensity of it. Every pixel of enhancement adds to the overall storage space and download time. Under the circumstances we know you will not mind at all. The Disputa, as the painting is known in Italian, is intimately connected with Raphael's fame and reputation; a fresco, it set the highest possible standard for multifigured paintings and has always been studied, copied, analyzed, and admired by artists. The commonly used title itself is misleading, for the fresco does not represent dispute, but rather   amplification, in which theologians analyze and expound upon the meaning of the Eucharist resting on the altar at the center of the picture. It could well be thought of as an exaltation of the Catholic faith. To a large degree the figures are identifiable. The four principal personalities are Doctors of the Church, Saints Gregory the Great and Jerome on the left side of the altar, Ambrose and Augustine on the opposite side. Among others who may be singled out are Saint Thomas Aquinas, Pope Innocent III, and Saint Bonaventure. Standing on the right side of the painting, Sixtus IV; uncle of the reigning Pope Julius II, who commissioned the work from Raphael, is dressed in a golden cope and papal tiara. Directly behind him the unmistakable profile of Dante is to be seen. On the other side of the composition the most devout painter of the previous century, Fra Angelico, is included along with Bramante, the chief architect of the new Church of Saint Peter's, Raphael's friend and sponsor, who is shown leaning on the railing. Raphael's own image may be seen in the guise of the bishop standing behind Pope Gregory, who, in turn, has the features of Julius II. Thus contemporaries are sometimes shown alongside historical and saintly figures; at other times their features are superimposed upon these earlier personalities. The disposition of the figures in a sweeping arc at the bottom zone of the composition is echoed above where the heavenly entourage is arranged beneath the seated Christ. Old and New Testament personages, including Peter, Adam, John the Evangelist, David, and Jeremiah on the left, are numbered with Judas Maccabaeus, Moses, Matthew, Abraham, and Paul on the right,along with the deacon, Saint Lawrence. These painted figures have strong three-dimensional conviction. The entire assembly above, both earthly and celestial, is crowned by a golden light with actually raised stucco rays and God the Father at the top. In the Disputa Raphael has embraced an extraordinary wealth of meaning and an immense historical range from Adam to Raphael's own contemporaries. In the distance at the left a landscape with buildings emphasizes the terrestrial character of the lower zone. Everything in the painting, despite its complexity, is intensely clear, virtually self-evident. The inclusion of Our Lady is most significant as her womb was the first Tabernacle or sanctuary of the Body of Christ. She is enrapt with her Son, hers and our Redeemer. You have probaby already noted that St. John the Baptist is still pointing the way to the Savior.

BACK

www.catholictradition.org/Eucharist/presence-disputa.htm