The Prophet Isaiah, 1920.41

The prophet appears in a dynamic contrapposto position, looking over his shoulder while gripping a scroll. Two nude winged infants stand behind his throne, with one supporting a heavy garland draped above the figure. This composition is a study or copy after Raphael's 1512 fresco in the Church of Sant'Agostino in Rome.

Isaiah was central to the Renaissance concept of 'Prisca Theologia,' representing the Hebrew lineage of divine wisdom that humanists like Marsilio Ficino sought to harmonize with Platonic philosophy. This specific figure style reflects the high-stakes synthesis of biblical prophecy and classical form that defined the intellectual atmosphere of the Vatican under Julius II.