Michelangelo’s Tuscany: Artistic Inspiration for Your Painting Holiday
Michelangelo, Moses, 1513-1515, Church of San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome, Italy. Photo by Jörg Bittner Unna via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA 3.0). Detail.
Why does Michelangelo’s Moses have horns?
Similarly, why do the four evangelists not mention an ox and a donkey in the Bible, even though Nativity scenes show them? These are among the intriguing questions answered in a fascinating article in the online arts magazine DailyArt this week.
A mistake in translation…
As it turns out, the answer is that somewhere, somehow, something has been lost (or in the statue of Moses, gained) in translation. You can read the whole article, by Arianna Richetti, here. Along with Moses’ horns and those Nativity animals, it features the un-black Black Death, monkeys in the Chamber of the Giants and the dubious creation of Eve from Adam’s rib.
Michelangelo, Moses, 1513-1515, Church of San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome, Italy. Photo by Jörg Bittner Unna via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA 3.0).
Michelangelo and the horned Moses
That brings us to Michelangelo’s Moses, the central figure of Pope Julius II’s monument in San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome. No wonder he’s smiling—he’s just spoken to God and received the Ten Commandments. Why the horns? They stem from St. Jerome’s Vulgate, the 4th Century Latin translation of Hebrew scriptures (Exodus 34)
As Arianna Richetti explains: “The Douay-Rheims Bible translates Jerome’s Vulgate as: And when Moses came down from the Mount Sinai, he held the two tablets of the testimony, and he knew not that his face was horned from the conversation of the Lord…
“The Hebrew script transcribes the consonants only, while it transcribes vocals as small symbols near consonants. That is why it is believed that Jerome made a vocalization mistake: instead of translating the Hebrew term קָרַ֛ן, qāran, meaning ‘shining’ or ‘emitting rays’ he translated it as qeren, meaning ‘horn.’ ”
Surprisingly, a simple mistake perpetuated by Michelangelo more than a thousand years later!
Immerse yourself in the same inspiring landscapes that fuelled the creativity of the great masters
At The Watermill in Tuscany, we offer painting holidays that allow you to capture the scenery of this historic region. Imagine setting up your easel amidst the rolling hills and villages, much like the artists of old.
Come and join us at the Watermill for more artistic chat under the dappled shade of the vine verandah, Our creative holidays offer inspiring tuition, warm hospitality, elegant accommodation, delicious food and wine, stunning locations – and the convivial company 0f like-minded people.
Fancy painting in the land that inspired Michelangelo? At The Watermill, you can do just that. Our courses are a relaxed mix of expert tuition, beautiful surroundings, delicious food, and great company. No horns involved—just plenty of creativity and good conversation.