Vision of a Knight (Raphael)
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| Artist | Raphael |
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| Year | circa 1504 |
| Type | Egg tempera on poplar |
| Dimensions | 17.1 cm × 17.1 cm (6.7 in × 6.7 in) |
| Location | National Gallery, London |
The Vision of a Knight or The Dream of Scipio or Allegory is a small egg tempera painting on poplar by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, finished in 1504. It is in the National Gallery in London. It probably formed a pair with the Three Graces panel, also 17 cm square, now in the Château de Chantilly museum.
There are a number of theories as to what the panel is intended to represent. Some art historians think the sleeping knight represents the Roman general Scipio Africanus (236 - 184 BC) who dreamed that he had to choose between Virtue (behind whom is a steep and rocky path) and Pleasure (in looser robes). However, the two feminine figures are not presented as contestants. They may represent the ideal attributes of the knight: the book, sword and flower which they hold suggest the ideals of scholar, soldier and lover which a knight should combine.
The panel was brought to England by William Young Ottley in 1800.
