Haman - Based on the figure from the scene of Esther and Haman from the Sistine Chapel ceiling

Melchior Lorch - engraver, Michelangelo Buonarroti - inventor

Melchior Lorch - engraver, Michelangelo Buonarroti - inventor - Haman - Based on the figure from the scene of Esther and Haman from the Sistine Chapel ceiling
Michelangelo’s figural motifs were studied by artists from all over Europe, who made further use of them in their work. The Danish painter and engraver visited Rome in 1551, which is when he may have made the drawing for this print. The image depicts Haman, a figure from the pendentive of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling, for which Michelangelo’s preparatory study has survived (now in the Teylers Museum in Haarlem). Haman was a vizier in the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, who hated the Jews and attempted to convince the king to order their killing. The plot was foiled by Queen Esther, herself a Jew. For this, Haman and his sons were hung. Michelangelo’s figure of Haman was amply studied by artists; the expressively rendered male nude is drawn in the much-admired intricate foreshortening.
date:
measurements: height 168 mm
width 101 mm
in collections:
material: paper
technique: engraving
inventory number: R 1117
gallery collection: Collection of Prints and Drawings