Spandrel of the lunette Jesse, David, Solomon
The spandrel above the lunette of Jesse, David and Solomon was painted by Michelangelo in just one day, apart from the bottom right corner. It is dominated in the centre by an enigmatic female figure, depicted seated on the ground in a frontal pose, looking outwards and entirely immobile. The torso is covered with an adherent green robe that allows the masculine musculature typical of Michelangelo’s women to be seen. The legs, with the feet crossed, are covered with a light violet cloak. One hand rests on the legs, while the back of the other one touches the cheek, thus emphasising the enigmatic gaze that seems entirely detached from the two figures – a man and a child – sketched behind in the shadows.
The bronzed nudes, their backs turned to the spectator, seem to be looking upwards, like those surmounting the opposite spandrel.