Which work includes an historical (or Biblical) person who is depicted with the face of Michelangelo?

Question

Which work includes an historical (or Biblical) person who is depicted with the face of Michelangelo?

A). Last Supper, by Leonardo

B). School of Athens, by Raphael

C). Last Judgment, by Rogier van der Weyden

D). Vitruvian Man, by Leonardo

E). David, by Michelangelo

F). None of the above

Answer 1

B) School of Athens, by Raphael (1508-1511)

Several of the figures depicted in Raphael's The School of Athens are believed to have "double identities".

The dejected writer at the bottom of the painting just left of center is believed to be both 1) a representation of Michelangelo, who was a fellow artist working in the Vatican (in the Sistine Chapel) at the same time as Raphael (in the Stanza della Segnatura), and 2) a representation of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus.

The remaining possible answers, although incorrect, also have an association with the theme presented by the question:

A and C) The Last Supper, by Leonardo DaVinci (1494-1498) is a red herring meant to create confusion with The Last Judgment by Rogier van der Weyden (1445-1450) and The Last Judgment by Michelangelo (1535-1541).

In his own (as opposed to Rogier van der Weyden's) The Last Judgment, Michelangelo depicts himself as St. Bartholomew holding his own skin after flaying. The face of the skin is generally accepted as a self-portrait of Michelangelo.

D) The identity of the model for The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo DaVinci (1487-1490), if any such model existed, remains a mystery.

E) There is also no confirmation of the identity of the model for Michelangelo's David (1501-1504).