That's why the prophet Jeremiah on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel has his mouth covered and finger extended in the signum harpocraticum, an ancient gesture of silence signifying profound esoteric knowledge.2 This is not surprising because Origen, Christianity's first theologian, was widely read in the Renaissance and his homily on Jeremiah states that you will not understand the prophet's wisdom “if you do not listen in a hidden manner”.3 Jeremiah's books in the Old Testament, like all scripture and art, require allegorical and esoteric interpretation.

In addition Leonardo advised artists to aid their conceptual faculty by remaining solitary and we know of Renaissance artists who literally chased their assistants from the studio in order to study alone like scholars.4

Click next thumbnail to continue

