BOTTICELLI, Sandro
(b. 1444, Firenze, d. 1510, Firenze)

The Punishment of Korah and the Stoning of Moses and Aaron (detail)

1481-82
Fresco
Cappella Sistina, Vatican

On the left-hand side of the fresco the rebels are swallowed up by the earth, which is breaking open under them. The two innocent sons of Korah, the ringleader of the rebels, appear floating on a cloud, exempted from the divine punishment.

Botticelli also included two of his contemporaries in the biblical scene. They are standing in front of the facade of an Italian Renaissance palace, and in the background, as is frequently the case with Botticelli, a motif from paintings north of the Alps has been added: it is a church with a pointed tower. The magnificent ships may well be a reference to the Pope's fleet.