School of Athens (Raphael) Easter Egg - Michelangelo in Painting

If you really wanted to know, first, the painting by Raphel was done in fresco, which was paint/ink painted into wet plaster. When it dried, it would be very hard to change. At the same time, Michelangelo was painting the Sistene chapel, and the patrons of Raphel and Michelangelo, the Papalcy, wanted Michelangelo to be included in Raphel's School of Athens. Raphel had not included Michelangelo on purpose, since the two did not like each other. Raphel had to actually cut out a hole in the plaster, put new plaster in the hole and paint in Michelangelo (the only way frescos can be changed). Well, this is according to Professor Shearman at Harvard University (he teaches the class Michelangelo)

I believe that another famous Renaissance painter is also in the "School of Athens"... maybe Donatello, I forget.

The two in the middle - Plato is Lenardo De Vinci

Pretty much everyone in the painting is a philosopher or Renaissance artist. Thats why its called "School of Athens." The famous philosophers were from Greece and during the Renaissance, students studied the works of the Greek thinkers. This isn't an Easter Egg at all, just the story behind the painting.

I believe that Michelanglo is not the figure by himself, he is the one that is leaning on a stone (as he was more famed for his statues) and writing (as he was also immensely popular as a writer and poet) just to the left of that figure.

I heard about it being Michelangelo too. Moreover, ancient figure that that character represents is Diogenes the Cynic (also known as Diogenes the dog). He was, as his name suggests, a cynic. He was said to live in a barrel. This is a sly insult to Michelangelo.

Actually, on the following site it says the person sprawled out by himself is actually Diogenes. http://www.ge-dip.etat-ge.ch/athena/raphael/raf_ath4.html