Michelangelo moses analysis

The Moses by Michelangelo can be dated from 1513-1515 and was to be part of the tomb of Pope Julius II. The posture is that of a prophet, posed on a marble chair between two decorated marble columns.

His long beard descends to his lap and is set aside by his right hand, which also leans on the plates.

This posture of the seated prophet also appears in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes from a year earlier.

In fact, here we have a rare example of Michelangelo as the painter of the Sistine Chapel, influencing Michelangelo as the sculptor.

The tribute money

Moses found his people worshipping the Golden Calf – the false idol they had made. His anger, profoundly sculptured by Michelangelo, defies the prison of stone, the limits of the sculptor’s art.

The world is drawn to the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome to gaze upon the range of human emotions captured in this Moses by Michelangelo, whose own personal turmoil is represented by the tomb he was n