This image depicts a section of an ornately decorated, barrel-vaulted ceiling within the Vatican Apostolic Palace, Città del Vaticano, Vatican City, consistent with the Loggia di Leone X

This image depicts a section of an ornately decorated, barrel-vaulted ceiling within the Vatican Apostolic Palace, Città del Vaticano, Vatican City, consistent with the Loggia di Leone X. The ceiling is a complex assembly of frescoed panels and gilded stucco ornamentation on a dark green background. A large rectangular fresco dominates the upper-center, labeled "S. MICHELE IN MONTE-GARGANO APPARET" (Saint Michael Appears on Monte Gargano). This fresco illustrates a landscape with a group of figures on a verdant hillside to the left, observing a luminous, angelic figure hovering above a body of water or valley on the right. The fresco is framed by an elaborate gilded border featuring white stucco classical figures, including reclining male nudes and shell motifs. Below and to the sides, the ceiling extends with numerous smaller rectangular and square panels, each containing various painted scenes, including mythological or biblical narratives, allegorical figures, and individual portraits. All panels are meticulously bordered with gilded frames, further embellished with white stucco relief work in classical, grotesque style, featuring intricate scrollwork, acanthus leaves, rosettes, and small human or animal figures, set against a predominant dark green and white color scheme.