Isaiah

The Master of Becerril depicted the prophet Isaiah around 1525, likely as part of a series of Old Testament prophets. Isaiah's prophecies about the coming of the Messiah made him the most important prophet in Christian art. The painting is in the Museo del Prado. The tempera-on-panel medium required a carefully gessoed surface and was painted in fine, precise layers, yielding a luminous, jewel-like surface of great durability.

The prophet is depicted with the scroll or book that identifies his role as a bearer of divine revelation. The formal, frontal presentation reflects Spanish conventions for prophetic imagery.