Abraham ca. 1408-10 Lorenzo Monaco (Piero di Giovanni) Italian These four Old Testament prophets are among the masterpieces of this leading late Gothic Florentine painter. Each figure holds an identifying attribute and strikes a rhetorical pose. Moses holds the tablets of the Ten Commandments; Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac prefigures that of Christ; David, holding a cither, is considered a direct ancestor of Christ; and Noah's ark prefigures the Church. These intense figures have reminded scholars of the sculpture of Donatello and Ghiberti. Were they arranged single file or superimposed in pairs; did they form an altarpiece or serve some other function We can’t say. Listen to experts illuminate this artwork's story Listen Play or pause #5202. Four Prophets: David, Moses, Noah, Abraham, Part 1 Play or pause #5230. Four Prophets: David, Moses, Noah, Abraham, Part 2 Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. We are