Carafa Chapel
Encyclopedia
The Carafa Chapel is a chapel in the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva
, Rome
, Italy
, known for a series of frescoes by Filippino Lippi
.
. He was a member of the Dominicans, who at the time administrated the church, and his palace was located nearby.
Lorenzo de' Medici of Florence recommended to Cardinal Carafa that he grant the commission to decorate the chapel to Filippino Lippi, then in his thirties. In order to fulfill the order, the artist had to halt the works at the Filippo Strozzi
Chapel in Santa Maria Novella, which he had begun in 1487 and which he would complete in 1502.
Documents attest Lippi's presence in Rome as early as 27 August 1488, working with his assistant Raffaellino del Garbo
. For the painter it was the first large fresco cycle, and his first (and only) work in Rome. The paintings were already completed in 1493, when they were visited by Pope Alexander VI
.
Raffaellino also decorated a smaller room annexed to the chapel, which would house Carafa's body after his death, with the Stories of Virginia and other chastity-related themes.
, in 1485. The books refer to the Cardinal's intellectual interests.
In the Sibyls, Filippi was the first Florentine painter to adopt the sotto in su ("from below") perspective. In this he was likely inspired by the Ascension of Mary fresco by Melozzo da Forlì
, then in the Santi Apostoli
basilica. The Sibyls were symbols of wisdom and knowledge; they are portrayed holding cartouches with St. Thomas' statements.
-decorated columns (candelabre). The subjects portrayed include a Roman ship with an olive tree branch, an allusion to Oliverio Carafa's command of the papal fleet (1472) against the Turks. Lippi copied the ship from a Roman relief in the basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura
(now in the Musei Capitolini).
The frieze, which is now only partially preserved, shows other subject related to the Cardinal's activities, while on the upper frame are angels with the Carafa coat of arms.
's Annunciation in the same church), Mary was instead depicted as both looking at the angle, but, at the same time, addressing and blessing with her right hand Carafa. The scene is set in an interior location, where Mary is kneeling on a chair, next to a bookrest full of books; behind a curtain, is a still life
depiction, including a shelf with books, a carafe
, a symbol of transparent purity, and an olive tree branch. The two latter elements form a rebus
of Oliviero Carafa's name.
On the left is a hall with a barrel vault
, with the Carafa coat of arms, perhaps taken from the Cardinal's palace. The scene is framed by a rich frieze decoration with vases, fruit, columns and grottesche, the latter inspired to the recent discovery of the paintings in the Domus Aurea
.
and by a luminous mandorla of cherubims. The two thurible
s are inspired to those painted by Sandro Botticelli
in the Punishment of the Rebels fresco in the Sistine Chapel
, and to which Lippi perhaps collaborated.
The Virgin is portrayed in a traditional fashion, from a frontal point of view; more original are the angels dancing around her, depicted da sotto in su such as those of Melozzo da Forlì. The angels, in clockwise order, hold a drum, a trumpet, a psaltery
, torches (the three ones who are pushing the cloud), a drum (at the wais), a triangle
of trapezoidal shape, and a cornamuse
in colors which hint at the Carafa's crest. The instruments are typical of the time's military bands, and are another allusion to Carafa's naval success in Turkey.
In the lower sector, behind the apostles is a procession of exotic characters and animals, which is perhaps a reference to the triumph conceded to the cardinal after his return from the naval expedition. Lippi had likely seen in Florence a giraffe
after it had been donated to Lorenzo de' Medici a few years before, and had created the popular enthusiasm.
, another member of the Carafa family, by Pirro Ligorio
. For its creation, Lippi's frescoes of Vices and Virtues, now known only through Giorgio Vasari
's description.
The right wall is characterized by a painted architecture similar to those in the central wall, but is divided into a lunette
and a central scene by a frieze
. They portray respectively The Dispute of St. Thomas and the Miracle of the Book.
The scene of St. Thomas is enclosed within a cross-vaulted pavilion with a round arch, which leads to a terrace; this is annexed to an edifice from which a group of characters is leaning out. In the niche is St. Thomas of Aquino surrounded by symbolic characters and others forming two further, symmetrical groups at the feet of the pavilion.
Thomas is holding a cartouche
with the inscription in Latin Sapientiam sapientum perdam ("I will destroy the scholar's knowledge"), taken from St. Peter's words in the bible. At his feet his a figure covered by books, symbolizing the Sin, with the cartouche Sapientia vincit malitia ("Knowledge wins the Malice"), an allusion to the importance attributed by Dominicans to knowledge in the fight against heresy and vices. The women at the saint's sides are, as recognizable by their cartouches, personifications of the Philosophy, the Theology (with a crown), the Dialectic
(with the snake) and the Grammar, portrayed while teaching a youth (the stick would be used to punish any sign of laziness).
The characters in the foreground are mostly heretics
(also identified by golden inscriptions on their garments) including Man
with a finger on his lips, Eutyches
with a pearl earring, Sabellius
(whose figures resembles the depiction of Dacian prisoners in the Arch of Constantine
), Arius
and others. The books on the ground are the heretics' book, going to be burn. On the right is a Dominican friar, who has been identified as Gioacchino Torriani, at the time prior of the order. On the right is Niccolò di Pitigliano
, then commander of the papal army
, shown before executing the Saint's condemnation.
The two buildings on the sides resemble contemporary examples in Umbrian painting, such as the Pinturicchio
's Funerals of Saint Bernardino in the Bufalini Chapel
of Santa Maria in Aracoeli
. On the left is a cityscape including a depiction of Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius
, which had the time was in the Lateran
and was believed to portray the emperor Constantine
.
The lunette
contains further episodes of the life of St. Thomas, such as the Miracle of the Book. In the right background is a loggia
, behind which is a city, and which a character is descending from a staircase. The characters have been variously interpreted. The small dog attacking a boy is usually a representation of the Devil attempting at the youth's purity. The woman with monastic garments and a rosary inside the belt has been seen as a personification of the Catholic Church, and in this case the man on the stairs would be her husband, Christ, whose passion is symbolized by the red cloak (and, accordingly, the child would represent the clergy borne by them).
The character on the right, dressed as a Muslim, is addressed by a man pointing at the woman (an allusion to the man's need to convert). The woman in the background would be a personification of the Synagogue
, an allusion also contained in Botticelli's Trials of Christ in the Sistine Chapel.
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
The Basilica of Saint Mary Above Minerva is a titular minor basilica and one of the most important churches of the Roman Catholic Dominican order in Rome, Italy. The church, located in the Piazza della Minerva in the Campus Martius region, is considered the only Gothic church in Rome. It houses...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, known for a series of frescoes by Filippino Lippi
Filippino Lippi
Filippino Lippi was an Italian painter working during the High Renaissance in Florence, Italy.-Biography:...
.
History
The chapel, located in the right side of the basilica and dedicated to St. Mary and St. Thomas of Aquino, was built in the late 15th century by will of Cardinal Oliviero CarafaOliviero Carafa
Oliviero Carafa was an Italian cardinal and diplomat of the Renaissance. Like the majority of his era's prelates, he displayed the lavish and conspicuous standard of living that was expected of a prince of the Church...
. He was a member of the Dominicans, who at the time administrated the church, and his palace was located nearby.
Lorenzo de' Medici of Florence recommended to Cardinal Carafa that he grant the commission to decorate the chapel to Filippino Lippi, then in his thirties. In order to fulfill the order, the artist had to halt the works at the Filippo Strozzi
Filippo Strozzi the Elder
Filippo Strozzi the Elder was an Italian banker and statesman, a member of the affluent Strozzi family of Florence....
Chapel in Santa Maria Novella, which he had begun in 1487 and which he would complete in 1502.
Documents attest Lippi's presence in Rome as early as 27 August 1488, working with his assistant Raffaellino del Garbo
Raffaellino del Garbo
Raffaellino del Garbo was a Florentine painter of the early Renaissance.His real name was Raffaello Capponi; Del Garbo was a nickname, bestowed upon him seemingly from the graceful nicety of his earlier works. He has also been called Raffaello de Florentia, and Raffaello de Carolis or Karli...
. For the painter it was the first large fresco cycle, and his first (and only) work in Rome. The paintings were already completed in 1493, when they were visited by Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol i Borja was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his Italianized surname—Borgia—became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet...
.
Raffaellino also decorated a smaller room annexed to the chapel, which would house Carafa's body after his death, with the Stories of Virginia and other chastity-related themes.
Vault
The decoration began from the vault, which was divided into four angular sectors in which Filippino depicted four Sibyls. In the middle is the coat of arms of the Carafa family inside a medallion. The frame of the scenes include a pattern of branches twisting in rings and diamonds (this a symbol of Lorenzo de' Medici]], intermingled with books and palms. The allusion of the Medici family is generally considered as a thanksgiving for Lorenzo's intercession towards Carafa in favour of the painter, and for his pacification work during the Baron's conjure which had torn apart Carafa's homeland, the Kingdom of NaplesKingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
, in 1485. The books refer to the Cardinal's intellectual interests.
In the Sibyls, Filippi was the first Florentine painter to adopt the sotto in su ("from below") perspective. In this he was likely inspired by the Ascension of Mary fresco by Melozzo da Forlì
Melozzo da Forlì
Melozzo da Forlì was an Italian Renaissance painter and architect. His fresco paintings are notable for the use of foreshortening. He was the most important member of the Forlì painting school.- Biography :...
, then in the Santi Apostoli
Santi Apostoli
The Church of the Twelve Holy Apostles is a 6th century Roman Catholic parish and titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, dedicated originally to St. James and St. Philip and later to all Apostles...
basilica. The Sibyls were symbols of wisdom and knowledge; they are portrayed holding cartouches with St. Thomas' statements.
Central walls
The end wall is decorated with a frescoed high altar with the Annunciation within a stucco frame and the Assumption of the Virgin at the sides and in the upper section. The scene is located within a fake arch supported by pilasters with agaveAgave
Agave is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies ; they are commonly known as the century plant....
-decorated columns (candelabre). The subjects portrayed include a Roman ship with an olive tree branch, an allusion to Oliverio Carafa's command of the papal fleet (1472) against the Turks. Lippi copied the ship from a Roman relief in the basilica of San Lorenzo fuori le Mura
San Lorenzo fuori le Mura
The Papal Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls is a Roman Catholic parish church and minor basilica, located in Rome, Italy. The basilica is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and one of the five Patriarchal basilicas, each of which is assigned to a patriarchate. St...
(now in the Musei Capitolini).
The frieze, which is now only partially preserved, shows other subject related to the Cardinal's activities, while on the upper frame are angels with the Carafa coat of arms.
Annunciation
For the Annunciation, Lippi adopted a rather unusual composition, with St. Thomas presenting to Mary the kneeling Cardinal Carafa. If the presence of the donor was a common themes (as in the Antoniazzo RomanoAntoniazzo Romano
Antoniazzo Romano, born Antonio di Benedetto Aquilo degli Aquili was an Italian Early Renaissance painter, the leading figure of the Roman school during the 15th century.-Biography:...
's Annunciation in the same church), Mary was instead depicted as both looking at the angle, but, at the same time, addressing and blessing with her right hand Carafa. The scene is set in an interior location, where Mary is kneeling on a chair, next to a bookrest full of books; behind a curtain, is a still life
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...
depiction, including a shelf with books, a carafe
Carafe
The carafe , is used for serving wine and other drinks. Unlike the related [decanter], carafes do not include stoppers.Coffee Pots included in coffee makers are also referred to as carafes....
, a symbol of transparent purity, and an olive tree branch. The two latter elements form a rebus
Rebus
A rebus is an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. It was a favourite form of heraldic expression used in the Middle Ages to denote surnames, for example in its basic form 3 salmon fish to denote the name "Salmon"...
of Oliviero Carafa's name.
On the left is a hall with a barrel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
, with the Carafa coat of arms, perhaps taken from the Cardinal's palace. The scene is framed by a rich frieze decoration with vases, fruit, columns and grottesche, the latter inspired to the recent discovery of the paintings in the Domus Aurea
Domus Aurea
The Domus Aurea was a large landscaped portico villa, designed to take advantage of artificially created landscapes built in the heart of Ancient Rome by the Emperor Nero after the Great Fire of Rome had cleared away the aristocratic dwellings on the slopes of the Palatine...
.
Assumption
The Annunciation, flanked by the depictions of saints staring at its scene, shows the Virgin ascending on a cloud which is pushed upwards by a group of angels; at her sides are burning candles, angels spreading incenseIncense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
and by a luminous mandorla of cherubims. The two thurible
Thurible
A thurible is a metal censer suspended from chains, in which incense is burned during worship services. It is used in the Catholic Church as well as in Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, some Lutheran, Old Catholic, and in various Gnostic Churches. It is also used...
s are inspired to those painted by Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli
Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance...
in the Punishment of the Rebels fresco in the Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel is the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. It is famous for its architecture and its decoration that was frescoed throughout by Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio...
, and to which Lippi perhaps collaborated.
The Virgin is portrayed in a traditional fashion, from a frontal point of view; more original are the angels dancing around her, depicted da sotto in su such as those of Melozzo da Forlì. The angels, in clockwise order, hold a drum, a trumpet, a psaltery
Psaltery
A psaltery is a stringed musical instrument of the harp or the zither family. The psaltery of Ancient Greece dates from at least 2800 BC, when it was a harp-like instrument...
, torches (the three ones who are pushing the cloud), a drum (at the wais), a triangle
Triangle (instrument)
The triangle is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. It is a bar of metal, usually steel but sometimes other metals like beryllium copper, bent into a triangle shape. The instrument is usually held by a loop of some form of thread or wire at the top curve...
of trapezoidal shape, and a cornamuse
Cornamuse
The cornamuse is a double reed instrument dating from the Renaissance period. It is similar in many ways to the crumhorn and rauschpfeife, although unlike those instruments, the bell of the cornamuse is closed, resulting in a much quieter sound...
in colors which hint at the Carafa's crest. The instruments are typical of the time's military bands, and are another allusion to Carafa's naval success in Turkey.
In the lower sector, behind the apostles is a procession of exotic characters and animals, which is perhaps a reference to the triumph conceded to the cardinal after his return from the naval expedition. Lippi had likely seen in Florence a giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
after it had been donated to Lorenzo de' Medici a few years before, and had created the popular enthusiasm.
Left and right walls
On the left wall is the funerary monument of Pope Paul IVPope Paul IV
Pope Paul IV, C.R. , né Giovanni Pietro Carafa, was Pope from 23 May 1555 until his death.-Early life:Giovanni Pietro Carafa was born in Capriglia Irpina, near Avellino, into a prominent noble family of Naples...
, another member of the Carafa family, by Pirro Ligorio
Pirro Ligorio
Pirro Ligorio was an Italian architect, painter, antiquarian and garden designer.-Biography:Ligorio was born in Naples. In 1534 he moved to Rome, where he developed his interest in antiquities, and was named superintendent to the ancient monuments by the Popes Pius IV and Paul IV...
. For its creation, Lippi's frescoes of Vices and Virtues, now known only through Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari was an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect, who is famous today for his biographies of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art-historical writing.-Biography:...
's description.
The right wall is characterized by a painted architecture similar to those in the central wall, but is divided into a lunette
Lunette
In architecture, a lunette is a half-moon shaped space, either filled with recessed masonry or void. A lunette is formed when a horizontal cornice transects a round-headed arch at the level of the imposts, where the arch springs. If a door is set within a round-headed arch, the space within the...
and a central scene by a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
. They portray respectively The Dispute of St. Thomas and the Miracle of the Book.
The scene of St. Thomas is enclosed within a cross-vaulted pavilion with a round arch, which leads to a terrace; this is annexed to an edifice from which a group of characters is leaning out. In the niche is St. Thomas of Aquino surrounded by symbolic characters and others forming two further, symmetrical groups at the feet of the pavilion.
Thomas is holding a cartouche
Cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an ellipse with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name, coming into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu, replacing the earlier serekh...
with the inscription in Latin Sapientiam sapientum perdam ("I will destroy the scholar's knowledge"), taken from St. Peter's words in the bible. At his feet his a figure covered by books, symbolizing the Sin, with the cartouche Sapientia vincit malitia ("Knowledge wins the Malice"), an allusion to the importance attributed by Dominicans to knowledge in the fight against heresy and vices. The women at the saint's sides are, as recognizable by their cartouches, personifications of the Philosophy, the Theology (with a crown), the Dialectic
Dialectic
Dialectic is a method of argument for resolving disagreement that has been central to Indic and European philosophy since antiquity. The word dialectic originated in Ancient Greece, and was made popular by Plato in the Socratic dialogues...
(with the snake) and the Grammar, portrayed while teaching a youth (the stick would be used to punish any sign of laziness).
The characters in the foreground are mostly heretics
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
(also identified by golden inscriptions on their garments) including Man
Man of Sin
The Man of Sin or Man of Lawlessness is a figure referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, who is usually equated with the Antichrist.-Second Thessalonians, Chapter Two:...
with a finger on his lips, Eutyches
Eutyches
Eutyches was a presbyter and archimandrite at Constantinople. He first came to notice in 431 at the First Council of Ephesus, for his vehement opposition to the teachings of Nestorius; his condemnation of Nestorianism as heresy precipitated his being denounced as a heretic...
with a pearl earring, Sabellius
Sabellius
Sabellius was a third century priest and theologian who most likely taught in Rome, but may have been an African from Libya. Basil and others call him a Libyan from Pentapolis, but this seems to rest on the fact that Pentapolis was a place where the teachings of Sabellius thrived, according to...
(whose figures resembles the depiction of Dacian prisoners in the Arch of Constantine
Arch of Constantine
The Arch of Constantine is a triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was erected to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312...
), Arius
Arius
Arius was a Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt of Libyan origins. His teachings about the nature of the Godhead, which emphasized the Father's divinity over the Son , and his opposition to the Athanasian or Trinitarian Christology, made him a controversial figure in the First Council of...
and others. The books on the ground are the heretics' book, going to be burn. On the right is a Dominican friar, who has been identified as Gioacchino Torriani, at the time prior of the order. On the right is Niccolò di Pitigliano
Niccolò di Pitigliano
Niccolò di Pitigliano was an Italian condottiero best known as the Captain-General of the Venetians during the Most Serene Republic's war against the League of Cambrai...
, then commander of the papal army
Captain General of the Church
The Captain General of the Church was the de facto commander-in-chief of the papal armed forces during the Middle Ages. The post was usually conferred on an Italian noble with a professional military reputation or a relative of the pope...
, shown before executing the Saint's condemnation.
The two buildings on the sides resemble contemporary examples in Umbrian painting, such as the Pinturicchio
Pinturicchio
Bernardino di Betto, called Pintoricchio or Pinturicchio was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. He acquired his nickname, Pintoricchio , because of his small stature, and he used it to sign some of his works....
's Funerals of Saint Bernardino in the Bufalini Chapel
Bufalini Chapel
The Bufalini Chapel is a side chapel of the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Rome, Italy. First chapel on the right after the entrance, it houses a cycle of frescoes executed c. 1484-1486 by Pinturicchio depicting the life of the Franciscan friar St...
of Santa Maria in Aracoeli
Santa Maria in Aracoeli
The Basilica of St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven is a titular basilica in Rome, located on the highest summit of the Campidoglio. It is still the designated Church of the city council of Rome, which uses the ancient title of Senatus Populusque Romanus...
. On the left is a cityscape including a depiction of Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius is an ancient Roman statue in the Campidoglio, Rome, Italy. It is made of bronze and stands 3.5 m tall. Although the emperor is mounted, it exhibits many similarities to standing statues of Augustus...
, which had the time was in the Lateran
Lateran
Lateran and Laterano are the shared names of several architectural projects throughout Rome. The properties were once owned by the Lateranus family of the former Roman Empire...
and was believed to portray the emperor Constantine
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
.
The lunette
Lunette
In architecture, a lunette is a half-moon shaped space, either filled with recessed masonry or void. A lunette is formed when a horizontal cornice transects a round-headed arch at the level of the imposts, where the arch springs. If a door is set within a round-headed arch, the space within the...
contains further episodes of the life of St. Thomas, such as the Miracle of the Book. In the right background is a loggia
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
, behind which is a city, and which a character is descending from a staircase. The characters have been variously interpreted. The small dog attacking a boy is usually a representation of the Devil attempting at the youth's purity. The woman with monastic garments and a rosary inside the belt has been seen as a personification of the Catholic Church, and in this case the man on the stairs would be her husband, Christ, whose passion is symbolized by the red cloak (and, accordingly, the child would represent the clergy borne by them).
The character on the right, dressed as a Muslim, is addressed by a man pointing at the woman (an allusion to the man's need to convert). The woman in the background would be a personification of the Synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, an allusion also contained in Botticelli's Trials of Christ in the Sistine Chapel.