The purpose of the study is to clarify the nature of the work of Melozzo da Forlì and the specific conditions for ordering Sixtus IV and the papal court. Determining the level of knowledge and skill of the artist on the example of his works, the authorship of which is documented, will allow not only to show the peculiarity of the work of the muralist of the second half of the 15th century, but also to describe how he, being the court master of the pontiff, determined the further development of the "Roman school" of painting itself.