The interpretation of the figure of the prophet Jonah by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the sistine chapel: anatomical urological vision

Abstract

Purpose: A detailed analysis in the iconography and pictorial appearance of the scene of the "Prophet Jonah" painted by the artist Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between the years 1508 and 1512. Materials and Methods: Literature review on the Italian Renaissance period and the life of Michelangelo Buonarroti and analysis of historical aspects of the evolution of studies of human anatomy in this period and the works of the artist. Results: A comparative analysis of the representation of the fi gure of the fi sh on the left thigh of "Jonah" with a cross section of penis shows a curious similarity. The pictorial and iconographic analysis reveals an intensity of light on the pubic area and the position of the prophet with the legs spread apart and left hand placed on this region. A tube-shaped cloth covers the region and the angel at the side seems to be looking at this anatomical region of "Jonah". In fact, sets of iconographic and pictorial relate to the deciphered code. Conclusions: This description helps to confi rm the relationship of the Renaissance art with the human anatomy; science has been much studied in this period. The design of a cross section of the penis is revealed with the two cavernous bodies with the septum between them and the spongy body. Considering the circumstances in which Michelangelo had painted, subjectivity was fundamental due to religious motivations added to the vigorous implications of a limited scientifi c knowledge typical of that era. ABSTRAcTARTIcLe InfO _______________________________________________________________ _____________________

The hidden symbols of the female anatomy in Michelangelo Buonarroti's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel

“…An example is the Cumaean Sybil, a female figure that is presented with a muscular male body. In the 16 th century, the Catholic Church was in a era when many theologians still debated whether women possessed souls so perhaps Michelangelo was subtlely highlighting female strength by exalting the muscularity of their bodies. The interpretation presented in this manuscript corroborates other published descriptions that have shown interesting interpretations suggesting that some of Michelangelo's images may be associated with the anatomy of male (Reis et al, ) and female (Tranquilli et al, ; Di Bella et al, ) genitalia.…”

“…8. The interpretation presented in this manuscript corroborates other published descriptions that have shown interesting interpretations suggesting that some of Michelangelo's images may be associated with the anatomy of male (Reis et al, 2012) and female (Tranquilli et al, 2007;Di Bella et al, 2015) genitalia.…”

A self‐caricature of michelangelo buonarroti hidden in the portrait of vittoria colonna

“…Many authors have pointed out that most of Michelangelo's works include various hidden symbols often associated with pagan, Neoplatonic beliefs, mathematical properties, and anatomical representations (Ackerman, ; Meshberger, ; Eknoyan, ; Strauss and Marzo‐Ortega, ; Bondeson and Bondeson, ; Barreto and Oliveira, ; Tranquilli et al, ; Blech and Doliner, ; Suk and Tamargo, ; Reis et al, ; De Campos et al, ; Malysz et al, ; Di Bella et al, ; De Campos et al, ). In addition, the artist left poems and personal letters that explained some of these works and, at the end of his life, he dictated some of his memories to his amanuensis, Condivi, to elucidate many of his artistic intentions (Blech and Doliner, ).…”

The Superficial Venous System: Art and Anatomy in Michelangelo’s Works

“…His deep knowledge in human anatomy turned into marvelous masterpieces, including sculptures, paintings and drawings [6,7]. Apart from this well-known Michelangelo's expertise in anatomical studies, in some works different anatomical structures have been curiously envisaged in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, as encoded hidden messages [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. This pareidolia has been partly criticized just in terms of visual illusions [15][16][17][18].…”