The School of Athens by Raphael. This Renaissance painting shows an imaginary scene from Ancient Greece, with many famous Greek philosophers, writers, artists and mathematicians. Raphael has used the faces of lots of famous people from his own time. He has used Leonardo da Vinci as his model for Plato, the philosopher with the white beard in the centre.

The Renaissance is a period in the history of Europe beginning in about 1400, and following the Medieval period.

"Renaissance" is a French word meaning "rebirth". The period is called by this name because at that time, people started taking an interest in the learning of ancient times, in particular the learning of Ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance was seen as a "rebirth" of that learning. The Renaissance is often said to be the start of the "modern age".