One of seven Old Testament prophets painted by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the “Prophet Daniel” was painted on the north wall of the chapel between 1508 and 1512. Instead of showing Daniel in the lions’ den as he was most often represented in medieval and Renaissance art, Michelangelo depicts a powerful, twisting figure who is engaged in reading a great book supported by a powerful nude child, and writing on another book to his right-hand side. The combination of bright cangiante colors and dramatic contrapposto makes for one of Michelangelo’s most awe-inspiring figures. Buona visione!