The Prophets Hosea and Jonah

Hosea is shown seated on the left with a heavy hood and a tablet, while a youthful Jonah stands to the right, looking upward in a moment of divine inspiration. An angel stands between them, gesturing toward the sky to indicate the source of their prophecy. The drawing is marked with a red chalk grid, a technique used by artists to scale and transfer a small design to a large wall fresco.

This study for the Chigi Chapel reflects the Renaissance Neoplatonic project of harmonizing Hebrew prophecy with classical humanism. The figures illustrate the 'furor divinus' or divine madness described by Marsilio Ficino, where the soul is elevated by God to perceive hidden truths.