RAFFAELLO Sanzio
(b. 1483, Urbino, d. 1520, Roma)

Justinian Presenting the Pandects to Trebonianus

1511
Fresco, width at the base 110 cm
Stanza della Segnatura, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican

The Pandects were important documents of Roman Civil Law that had been brought into accordance with Canon (Church) Law. This unusual subject was to be shown on one side of the window on this wall, with Pope Gregory on the other side. Raphael used a dedication scene as the setting for both, and designed a unified space for both compositions, so that the floor tiles and the back wall are identical in both pictures. The fresco is thought to be largely the work of assistants and was probably carried out towards the end of 1511.