Description
The Prophet Daniel is a fresco Michelangelo painted in 1511 on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican: a young prophet with a thick head of curls balances a huge open book on his lap, held up from below by a naked child, and turns to write at a lectern by his side. The painted field measures about 380 x 395 cm. Our painter paints it for you by hand in oils on canvas, in 8 near-square sizes from 45 x 45 to 120 x 120 cm or made to measure, and we send you a photograph of the finished painting before dispatch.
| Title: | The Prophet Daniel |
| Other titles: | Il profeta Daniele · Der Prophet Daniel |
| Painter: | Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) |
| Year painted: | 1511 |
| Original size: | about 395 cm x 380 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Fresco |
| Painting style: | High Renaissance |
| Located at: | Sistine Chapel, Vatican City |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
The Prophet Daniel – Michelangelo
What can you see in the painting?
The prophet sits on a stone throne that Michelangelo painted as part of an illusionistic architecture. He is young and beardless, with reddish-brown curls tumbling over his forehead. His head is bowed and turned towards the left of the scene.
A thick open book rests on his knees. He keeps it open with his left hand, while his right hand writes on the slanted board of a lectern close beside him. Between his knees stands a curly-haired naked child who, arms raised and head lowered, takes the weight of the book like a small column.
His clothes are a feast of colour: a pale blue tunic with a white collar, a golden yellow cloth across his knees, a rose-lilac mantle lined with green, and red folds near his legs. Behind his shoulder a second figure in a brownish hood emerges from the shadow. On either side rise pilasters with pairs of naked infants in grey stone, though they are only painted.
Who was Daniel, and what does the scene tell us?
Daniel is one of the four so-called major prophets of the Old Testament, together with Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
Most artists showed Daniel in the lions’ den, the best-known event of his life. In this fresco, however, there is not a single lion. Daniel appears as a scholar absorbed in a great book which, as Wikipedia puts it, a muscular figure holds up from below.
Because the prophet turns from the book towards the lectern, he seems to be copying from it or noting down what he has read.
Why is this fresco so famous?
The prophets and sibyls are the largest figures on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. There are twelve: seven prophets of Israel and five sibyls, seers from classical myth. Every name is written on a painted marble tablet held by a putto; Daniel’s reads DANIEL.
Michelangelo is regarded as the greatest master of cangiante, a way of painting shadow not with a darker tone of the same colour but with a different colour altogether. Wikipedia singles out Daniel as an extreme example: his blue robe deepens to green in the shadows and lightens to yellow in the light.
From the same series comes The Prophet Ezekiel, an old man with a white beard who twists sharply to one side. A short account of this fresco is given in an article on the English-language Wikipedia.
Where is the original, and how was it made?
The original is on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, about 20 metres above the floor. It is a fresco: Michelangelo laid his colours into fresh, still damp plaster, which bound them in for good as it dried.
He painted the ceiling between 1508 and 1512 for Pope Julius II. Daniel’s field measures about 380 x 395 cm, and the prophet is enthroned in a triangular field above a window arch.
Centuries of candle smoke and layers of varnish had darkened the colours. The restoration of the ceiling between 1980 and 1989 removed that grime, and today the light tones of Daniel’s robes shine again.
The Prophet Daniel or another Michelangelo?
The Prophet Daniel is a canvas painting for people who love to read, write and think. It belongs in a home library, a study or above a writing desk.
If quiet concentration appeals to you, look at The Prophet Isaiah as well: the prophet keeps a finger between the pages of a closed book and turns his head as if he has just heard something. From the same ceiling comes The Delphic Sibyl, a young seer with wide-open eyes and an unrolled scroll in her hands.
Quite different in mood is The Doni Tondo, which Michelangelo painted on a round wooden panel before the chapel ceiling. To set Daniel beside the rest, browse the famous Michelangelo paintings we offer, all gathered on the Michelangelo page.
How does our painter paint Daniel?
Let us be clear first: the original is a fresco painted into the plaster of a curved ceiling, whereas ours is an oil painting reproduction of it, painted by hand on canvas. We start only once you order, layer by layer.
The painter first lays a light, warm ground and sketches throne, book, child and pilasters with a fine brush. Then he builds the colour from shadow to light: the blue tunic that turns green and yellow at its edges, the golden cloth on the knees and the rosy mantle.
The little stone infants on the pilasters need special care, since they must look grey like stone yet soft, and so does the child’s skin, warmer than the prophet’s hands. This Michelangelo reproduction has full, deep colours, and under raking light you can see the brushstrokes on its surface.
Which size suits which wall?
In short: 45 x 45 or 50 x 52 cm above a desk or on a shelf, 60 x 60 or 70 x 70 cm for a study or hallway, 80 x 80 or 90 x 90 cm above a sofa or chest of drawers, and 100 x 105 or 120 x 120 cm for a large wall or a library.
We paint Daniel in 8 sizes (width x height): 45 x 45, 50 x 52, 60 x 60, 70 x 70, 80 x 80, 90 x 90, 100 x 105 and 120 x 120 cm. The fresco itself is far larger: it measures about 380 x 395 cm on the ceiling, and our largest size, 120 x 120 cm, is only about a third of its width.
Because the field is almost square, so is our painting, and it fits a wide wall as easily as a narrow one. As a painting for the living room it works best at 90 x 90 or 100 x 105 cm. Hang it so that the book sits at about eye level.
Can I have another size or a frame?
Of course. If you need a different proportion, we adapt the composition so that prophet, book and child stay whole. Tell us which size you need, and we will reply with a price and a lead time.
Daniel travels to you rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or already in its frame. Our workshop in Slovenia stretches and frames every order that needs it. The frame itself you pick in our 3D app, which serves for frame choice alone; a view of the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
How long does it take, and how is it delivered?
The painter starts as soon as you confirm your order, and your Daniel is ready to ship within 15 to 45 working days. Before that we send you a photograph of the finished painting, and you can tell us if you would like anything changed. Orders to Slovenia and other EU countries pay no customs duty, and our returns policy applies as usual.
The Prophet Daniel is a thoughtful gift for a teacher, a writer, a theologian or a student who has just graduated. Not sure which size they would pick? A wall art voucher lets them decide for themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original fresco?
On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, where Daniel sits high above the visitors.
What is the prophet doing?
He holds a large open book on his knees and turns towards a lectern, as if copying out what he has read.
Is this a print or handmade?
Handmade: a hand-painted copy that our painter builds up with brush and oil paint on canvas.
How big is the fresco in the chapel?
About 380 x 395 cm, far larger than our biggest size of 120 x 120 cm.
Why are there no lions?
Michelangelo does not show the lions’ den; he shows Daniel as a scholar reading and writing.
Does it suit a study or a library?
Very well, as books belong there; it also looks good in a living room.
Could Daniel be painted in a size you do not list?
Yes, just send us the width and height you want and we will quote a price and a date.
How long is the wait?
Between 15 and 45 working days; you get a photograph of the finished painting before it ships.
- Subject: the young prophet Daniel, a large open book on his knees held up by a naked child, turns towards a lectern; painted stone infants flank him.
- Original: 1511, fresco, about 380 x 395 cm, Sistine Chapel ceiling, Vatican City.
- Ours: hand-painted to order in oils on canvas, 8 sizes from 45 x 45 to 120 x 120 cm or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: Daniel is one of the four major prophets on the ceiling, with Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
