Product Focus: The School of Athens Collection
This week we wanted to honour one of our most timeless and classic artworks celebrating Greek philosophy. An incredibly popular design since producing it as a bespoke commission for a customer, this weeks pocket square features the Raphael masterpiece, The School of Athens.
Raphael’s fresco The School of Athens has come to symbolise the marriage of art, philosophy, and science, a hallmark of the Italian Renaissance. Painted between 1509 and 1511, it is located in the first of the four rooms designed by Raphael, the Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican City.
Did You Know? - Experts have suggested that nearly every great ancient Greek philosopher can be found in the painting, but determining which are depicted is difficult since Raphael made no designations outside possible likenesses, and no contemporary documents explain the painting. Can you spot Socrates?
SHOP NOW: THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS POCKET SQUARE
The painting has long been seen as "Raphael's masterpiece and the perfect embodiment of the classical spirit of the Renaissance". The soft colour palette and exceptionally detailed back story from one of the Renaissance's greats make this a perfect addition to our collection as both a tailored jacket lining or a beautiful silk hand-rolled pocket square.
THE HISTORY BEHIND THE PAINTING
The School of Athens was hugely influential at the time and is remembered as the perfection of artistic ideals from the period. The painting features several figures from classical Greece and is a statement about the coexistence of pagan Greek philosophy and modern Christian Italian culture as the basis for European civilization.
The School of Athens was painted during the Italian Renaissance, a period which lasted from roughly 1300 to 1600. The Renaissance was mainly characterised by a wealthy new intellectual elite class with a huge passion for the arts. Religious fervour was also at its height.
The School of Athens is one of four wall frescoes in the Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican Palace. The room was set to be Julius’ library. Therefore, Raphael’s overall concept balances the contents of what would have been in the pope’s study.
In the 15th century, a tradition of decorating private libraries with portraits of great thinkers was common. However, Raphael took the idea to a whole new level with massive compositions that reflected philosophy, theology, literature, and jurisprudence.
Read as a whole, they immediately transmitted the intellect of the pope and would have sparked a discussion between cultured minds that were lucky enough to enter into this private space.
Frescoes in the Stanza della Segnatura
THREE WAYS TO WEAR THIS POCKET SQUARE
This historic fine artwork is light in colour and predominately cream and gold in tone, thus creating a rich backdrop and complementary palette to suit all types of jackets and clothing.
Match With a Navy Jacket
Most pocket squares would suit our navy made to order tailored jacket as this classic menswear item is extremely versatile and wearable across smart and casual uses. The School of Athens painting has rich cream and blue tones from the sky backdrop alongside gold outlines to create a neutral palette that works beautifully with any navy textured background.
Pair With Matching Silk Lining
Want to make a statement? Why not double up with this pocket square and purchase our School of Athens silk jacket lining. Our linings can be bought as individual panels for you to take to your tailor or added as a lining option through our bespoke tailored jacket collection.
The artwork is bold and instantly recognisable, so pairing the pocket square with your jacket lining is one way to be seen and truly stand out. Also, that Instagram shot is going to be genuinely unbeatable!
Complement With A Cream Tie
Tonal dressing is a current and creative way of combining the same colour across different tones, fabrics and hues to match any outfit and tie it together. In this instance, we would create a tonal ensemble by pairing it with our new Shantung Silk Tie in cream and blue.
The colours are similar to the hues within the artwork of the School Of Athens. Therefore, they will pair nicely together to bring your ensemble together quickly.
What Makes Our Pocket Squares So Special?
