The Moses (c. 1513–1515) is a sculpture by the Italian High Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome. Commissioned in 1505 by Pope Julius II for his tomb, it depicts the Biblical figure Moses with horns on his head, based on a description in the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible used at that time.

This figure was executed for the second project (1513) for Pope Julius' tomb, and was planned for the second zone, above the right niche of the front. This project was not realised, and the Moses was not completed until 1542. Michelangelo chose the present position for the Moses during the final project of 1542-45. As it was designed for a higher viewpoint, the statue's proportions seem awkward when seen in its present low location in the church.

This cast of the original sculpture was scanned by Jerry Fisher in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where it was brought to controversy regarding copyright claims from the university which housed the sculpture on its land. You can read more about this here.

Gallery location:
Cast Courts, Room 46b, The Weston Cast Court , case WS

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.

Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London