Raphael: Knightly virtues

Painted in the early 16th century, Raphael's 'The Dream of a Knight' is a work of extraordinary delicacy. It is made with minute attention to detail and a vibrant jewel-like finish reminiscent of manuscript illustration.

The small panel depicts a sleeping knight, under the shadow of a bay (or laurel) tree, visited by a vision of two female figures - Virtue (on the left) and Pleasure (on the right).

This painting is thought to have been inspired by a passage in the Punica, an epic poem by Silius Italicus (AD 25–101) which recounts the story of the Second Punic War.

Raphael’s sleeping knight may be the Roman hero Scipio Africanus (236-184 BC), who in the passage from Silius’ Punica, is presented with the choice between Virtue or Pleasure. Virtue promises Scipio honour, fame and glory through victory in war. Pleasure promises a life of ease.

It is thought that Raphael is the first to have painted this particular scene from the Punica, and that Raphael is perhaps reinterpreting Scipio's vision in his own unique way.

The scene takes its origins from the legend of Hercules at the crossroads. This ancient Greek parable comes from Xenophon's Memorabilia (371BCE) and tells the tale of a young Hercules on the brink of entering manhood.

Hercules, like Scipio, is presented with the same choice between a life of virtue or a life of pleasure (vice). Both Virtue and Vice present their arguments before the young hero, after which Hercules ultimately rejects Vice and chooses a life of virtue and glory.

Raphael presents this moment, not as a moral dilemma nor a definitive choice. Instead, he depicts a collective display of all the virtues which an ideal soldier or knight should aspire to and try to balance.

The surviving drawing (or cartoon) for the painting (in the British Museum) shows that Raphael had meticulously planned the scene's composition. If we look closely, we can see the pierced edges which would have allowed for the design to be transferred to a panel using charcoal dust.