Thursday, August 6, 2020

Little-known Botticelli Fresco

From Aleteia:
In the lower part of the fresco, Botticcelli features a symbolic encounter between the Old Law and the New, with a young man healed of leprosy by Jesus showing himself to the High Priest in front of the Temple as the elements of a purification sacrifice are presented. The priest may represent Moses and the young man Jesus, who sacrificed himself for our salvation. The overall message of the fresco is the triumph of Christ over the temptations of the devil. A frieze holds the inscription TEMPTATIO IESU CHRISTI LATORIS EVANGELICAE LEGIS (“The Temptations of Christ, Bringer of the Evangelic Law”). A companion fresco depicts three trials overcome by Moses, as part of the artistic tradition of paralleling Moses and Jesus. (Read more.)
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