The Testament and Death of Moses

This fresco is one of several in the Sistine Chapel that depict the major episodes in the life of Moses. It is believed that Signorelli collaborated on this work with his friend, Bartolomeo della Gatta, with the more dynamic figures most certainly being executed by Signorelli. One of these figures, a seated nude youth in the center of the foreground, is believed (in fact, generally accepted) to have served as a reference for the 20 nude figures - what Michelangelo called the Ignudi - painted on his famous chapel ceiling 25 years later.

In this fresco, Signorelli presents five simultaneous events from the end of the life of Moses, which can be read from right to left. Moses is seen on the right-hand side, reading covenants of the Lord to a large group of followers who fill the entire bottom half of the image. Moses sits upon the ark of the covenant, placing him slightly above the crowd. The Ark is open, displaying the jar of manna and two tables of the law inside. Then, atop Mount Nebo at the center of the background, Moses is depicted with an angel who allows him to see the far-off Promised Land, even though, as the angel informs Moses, only his descendants, not he, will ever arrive there. 

Lower down the mountain, Moses is shown descending towards his death. At the left-hand side of the foreground, he is shown, at the age of 120, appointing Joshua (who kneels before him) as his successor, to take over the task of leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. Finally, to the upper-right of the background, Moses's followers are shown mourning his passing in Moab. Here, he lays amidst the group, enshrouded in white linen. At the far left is the cave in which he will be entombed.

This fresco is in the  Sistine Chapel, at the Vatican