Prophet Zechariah
Michelangelo·1508
Historical Context
The Prophet Zechariah is one of seven Old Testament prophets Michelangelo painted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, seated in architectural thrones flanking the central narrative panels. Zechariah, placed above the entrance wall, was one of the first figures Michelangelo painted when he began the ceiling in 1508. The Hebrew prophet, whose writings were understood as foretelling Christ's entry into Jerusalem and the Passion, is depicted as a venerable elder absorbed in reading a book while two putti peer over his shoulders. The prophets and sibyls are among the most celebrated individual figures in Western art.
Technical Analysis
The figure is rendered in powerful volumetric form that demonstrates Michelangelo's sculptural approach to painting, with the heavy drapery carved out in broad planes of light and shadow. As one of the earlier figures, Zechariah is somewhat more compact than the later, more expansive prophets like Jeremiah and Jonah. The restricted palette of earth tones and blues creates monumental gravity befitting the prophetic subject.
