Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original file
About This Work
The scene shows a horseman in golden armor trampling a man on the ground on the right, while two young men rush forward. In the center of the deep, gilded temple, the high priest Onias kneels in prayer before an altar where a menorah is visible. On the left, attendants carry Pope Julius II on a litter as he observes the miraculous intervention.
Commissioned for the Vatican, this work asserts the divine protection of the Church's property and authority by linking a biblical miracle to the contemporary reign of Pope Julius II. It reflects the High Renaissance effort to harmonize historical scripture with the political and theological program of the Papal court, likely influenced by the Christian Kabbalist Egidio da Viterbo.