Description
The Prophet Isaiah is one of the frescoes Michelangelo painted around 1509 on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican: a grey-haired prophet sits on a stone throne, one finger tucked into a closed blue book, and turns his head as if someone had just called his name. On the ceiling the painted field is about 380 cm wide and 365 cm high, far larger than any size we paint. We paint it for you by hand and to order, in oils on canvas, in 8 portrait sizes from 38 x 55 to 120 x 180 cm or made to measure, and before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished painting.
| Title: | The Prophet Isaiah |
| Other titles: | Il profeta Isaia · Der Prophet Jesaja |
| Painter: | Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) |
| Year painted: | c. 1509 |
| Original size: | about 365 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 Isaiah – Michelangelo
What does The Prophet Isaiah show?
On an upright canvas an elderly man with short, thick grey curls sits on a stone seat that belongs to a painted marble architecture. His head has turned sharply towards the left side of the painting, where two children appear behind his back. His lips are slightly parted, as if he were listening to a voice we cannot hear.
He wears a full rose-pink robe that falls in deep folds down to his bare feet. A heavy mantle lies over his shoulders and back, green on the outside and lined with blue and pale lilac, fastened at the neck with a red clasp.
With his right hand he holds a closed blue book at his side, its edges orange, his fingers still between the pages where he had been reading. His left hand is raised beside his head, the forefinger slightly bent. Behind him, on the left, are two naked children, putti: one with reddish-gold curls stretches an arm upwards, the other only peeps out.
Who was Isaiah, and what does the fresco tell us?
Isaiah is one of the four so-called major prophets of the Old Testament whom Michelangelo painted on the ceiling; the other three are Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.
Wikipedia cautiously describes the blue book at his side as perhaps the biblical Book of Isaiah. Michelangelo paints not the prophecy itself but the stillness before it: the man has stopped reading, and his mind is already elsewhere.
Why is Isaiah so admired?
Giorgio Vasari, the 16th-century painter and biographer of artists, singled this figure out for praise: in his view, anyone who studies it closely will find in a figure taken from nature all the rules a good painter should follow.
The movement lives in the mantle: green and blue cloth swirls around the prophet and gives him energy even though he sits still. The restoration of the ceiling between 1980 and 1989 brought back the light, cool colours we now see on the pink robe and the green mantle.
The American illustrator Norman Rockwell borrowed elements of this very fresco for his famous illustration Rosie the Riveter, which shows a factory worker. The English Wikipedia article on this figure tells you more.
Where is the original, and how was it made?
The original is still in its place, on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, about 20 metres above the floor. It is a fresco: the colours were laid into fresh, still damp plaster and bonded with it for good.
Pope Julius II commissioned the ceiling, and Michelangelo worked on it, Isaiah included, from 1508 to 1512. He saw himself above all as a sculptor, the maker of the David and the Pietà, and at first he took on the commission reluctantly.
Isaiah sits on one of the long sides of the chapel, the fourth figure on the right counting from the high altar. Michelangelo had begun at the west end with scenes from the story of Noah; among them is the large central scene, The Deluge, where people climb onto rocks to escape the rising water.
The Prophet Isaiah or another Michelangelo?
The Prophet Isaiah is a canvas painting for anyone drawn to calm, thoughtful faces and full colour. It suits a study, a home library or a hallway.
If reading is what appeals to you, look at The Prophet Daniel: the young prophet with thick curls copies from a large open book that a naked child holds up for him. Older and more restless is The Prophet Ezekiel, who turns sharply aside in a blue turban and opens his hand as if asking a question.
For a woman from the same ceiling, choose The Delphic Sibyl, a young seer with wide-open eyes and a scroll in her hands. Our famous Michelangelo paintings are gathered on the Michelangelo page.
How does our painter bring a fresco onto canvas?
To be clear: the original is a fresco painted into the plaster of a curved vault, while ours is an oil painting reproduction, hand-painted on canvas. The technique differs, so you receive real oil paint that can be stretched, framed and hung.
The Prophet Isaiah is painted only after you order it, layer by layer. The painter first draws the figure, the throne, the book and the two children on the canvas, then builds the colour from the shadows towards the lights.
The folds need the most care: the pink robe wants soft, deep shadows, the green mantle bright edges that give the sense of a swirl.
The finished surface is real paint, with brushstrokes you can see close up in raking light.
Which size suits your wall?
In short: 38 x 55 or 45 x 65 cm for a bookshelf, a desk or a narrow wall, 50 x 75 or 65 x 95 cm for a hallway or bedroom, 77 x 107 or 85 x 125 cm above a sofa or chest of drawers, and 110 x 153 or 120 x 180 cm for a tall wall, a stairwell or a room with a high ceiling.
The Prophet Isaiah comes in 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 38 x 55, 45 x 65, 50 x 75, 65 x 95, 77 x 107, 85 x 125, 110 x 153 and 120 x 180 cm. The fresco on the ceiling is about 380 cm wide and 365 cm high, so much larger; our biggest size, 120 x 180 cm, is both narrower and lower.
As a painting for the living room he is most convincing at 77 x 107 or 85 x 125 cm above the sofa. Hang him so that the prophet’s face sits a little above eye level, since in the chapel too he is seen from below.
Can I have another size or a frame?
Yes. If you need a different proportion, we adapt the composition so that the head, the raised hand, the book and the bare feet stay whole. This Michelangelo reproduction keeps the prophet’s turned gaze in any format. Tell us the width and height you have in mind, and we will send a price and a lead time.
Isaiah can travel to you rolled, on a stretcher bar or already in a frame. Our workshop in Slovenia does the stretching and framing before Isaiah sets off. Our 3D app is only for choosing the frame; a view of Isaiah on your own wall is offered as a separate service.
When will it arrive, and how is it shipped?
The painter starts once you confirm your order, and the finished painting is ready to ship within 15 to 45 working days. Before it leaves we send you a photograph; if you want a change, we make it before packing. There are no customs charges within Slovenia or anywhere in the EU, and our returns policy covers every order.
The Prophet Isaiah is a thoughtful gift for a teacher, a priest, a theologian, a writer or anyone who loves books. If you are unsure which size would suit, give a wall art voucher and let them choose.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see the original in person?
Yes, in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, on the ceiling about 20 metres above visitors.
What is the prophet holding?
A closed blue book, his fingers keeping the place he had read up to.
Is this a print?
No. Our painter makes a hand-painted copy with brush and oils, stroke by stroke, on canvas.
How big is the fresco on the ceiling?
About 380 cm wide and 365 cm high; our largest size is 120 x 180 cm.
What does the prophet’s gesture mean?
Michelangelo shows a moment of attention: the prophet has paused his reading and listens; the meaning is left open.
Does it suit a bedroom or a study?
Very well, as it is calm and quiet; it also looks good in a library or living room.
Can you paint it in another size?
Yes. Give us the width and height you want, and we will come back with a price and the date Isaiah will be ready.
How long will I wait?
15 to 45 working days; the photograph of your finished painting arrives before dispatch.
- Subject: a grey-haired prophet in a pink robe and green mantle holds a closed blue book and turns his head; two putti behind him.
- Original: c. 1509, fresco, about 365 x 380 cm (height x width), Sistine Chapel ceiling, Vatican City.
- Ours: painted by hand to order in oils on canvas, 8 portrait sizes from 38 x 55 to 120 x 180 cm or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: among all the prophets and sibyls, Vasari praised Isaiah in particular.
