The dominant figures of the composition are
Leonardo da Vinci, aka Plato and
Bastiano da Sangallo, in the guise of Aristotle.

In the fresco are portrayed many personalities
of the papal court such as Cardinal Tommaso Inghirami,
Francesco Maria Della Rovere, Baldassarre Castiglione,
Donato Bramante and in the middle of the steps
Michelangelo himself, while more modestly
Raphael appears at the bottom right
together with his friend Giovanni Bazzi,
better known as Sodoma.