Few people have been as lucky as Pope Julius II, who had two of the greatest painters in the history of Art painting in tandem for him. While Raphael was busy working in this room, Michelangelo downstairs was building his own legacy on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Did they get on well? He would most probably feel quite bitter against his younger colleague, who enjoyed the privilege of being the Pope’s protégé and favorite painter. Indeed, thanks to the influence of the Florentine Master, Raphael’s figures in this room earned a more muscular and athletic look. Can this be considered plagiarism? Surely not! It is rather a case of creative eclecticism. Raphael, as Giorgio Vasari has beautifully put into words, “....through studying the efforts of both ancient and modern masters, took the best elements from them all; and by assimilating them, enriched the art of painting with that complete perfection reflected in the ancient works....”