MICHELANGELO Buonarroti
(b. 1475, Caprese, d. 1564, Roma)

Salmon - Boaz - Obed (detail)

1511-12
Fresco
Cappella Sistina, Vatican

Ruth is represented with her eyes closed, as she tenderly cuddles the sleeping infant she has just finished nursing. A breast still protrudes from her clothing; in the past it was hidden beneath repainting, but the recent restoration has revealed it once again. She is wearing a long rose tunic with whitish highlights formed by the folds and orange shadows. A violet-rose mantle envelops her knees, while her head is covered with a cloth falling onto her shoulders. The green of this is duller in tone than that of the shawl wrapping the infant.