Male or Female?

[Male or Female?]

Please take a good look at these 2 images.
Can you tell me the gender of these 2 figures?
(I am sure that if you have studied the Art history, you already know the answers.)
Male? or Female?
By the way, if you have kindly answered on the wall section of my facebook profile, I thank you very much!
Very well then, let us begin with the image A.

If you have thought that this is a male figure, you are correct.
At the same time, if you have thought that this is a female figure, you are correct, too!
How so? How can a person be both male and female?
This, of course, would require an explanation.

First of all, this image (A) is from one of the four fresco murals titled, "The School of Athens," and it was painted by Raphael(Raffaello Sanzio). It was painted between 1510-1511 in the Stanza della Segnatura of the Vatican. The theme of this fresco can be Philosophy (pre-Christian), and it is situated directly under the tondo(round)-fresco titled, “Causarum Cognitio(Cognition/Knowledge of Causes).”
As a matter of fact, most of the characters in this fresco are the ancient Greek philosophers with the two beings, Plato and Aristotle, towering at the central portion of the fresco. The legend has it that the model of Plato was Leonardo da Vinci, whom Raphael adored.
The image A in question is from the lower left(of the viewer)section of this fresco.
If you feel that the gender of this being is not necessary clear, you have the point, for the male model is used to portray the female character. Using a male model for a female is not so surprising, for Michelangelo is known for that.
In the world of music, the role of soprano used to be played by a male singer (counter tenor and castrato).

The name of the model is Francesco Maria Della Rovere, an actual historical figure. Francesco was the nephew of Giuliano della Rovere (Pope Julius II).
The character portrayed here is Hypatia, a well known female ancient Greek scholar from Alexandria (..who was brutally murdered by the fanatic early Christian mobs). According to a legend, she had remained a virgin and rejected the 'carnal desires.' She had lectured boldly as if she were a man.

Let us move onto the image B. If you have thought that this is a male figure, you are correct. This image is the part of one of the four fresco murals I have mentioned above in the Stanza della Segnatura, and the title is "Disputa (Disputation of the Holy Sacrament)." While the upper half of this mural is depicting the Biblical personages, the lower part consists of the historical personages. In here, the figure in question is portrayed as Francesco Maria Della Rovere himself, and he is standing next to Bramante, a Papal court appointed architect, who happens to be the relative of Raphael.

Now you have the answers. Now we are ready to explore a figure in Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." ...and that will be discussed in the future blog of mine...
Thank you friends!