Which artist painted The Punishment of the Sons of Korah in the Sistine Chapel?

Sandro Botticelli painted The Punishment of the Sons of Korah in the Sistine Chapel.

The fresco is part of the Moses cycle on the chapel’s south wall. It depicts the biblical rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram against Moses and Aaron, followed by the divine punishment described in the Book of Numbers.

Botticelli organized the narrative across a lively architectural setting. Moses appears as the central authority figure, while the rebellious group is shown facing judgment. The painting’s subject reinforces the broader message of divinely sanctioned religious leadership that links the chapel’s Moses and Christ cycles.

The fresco is sometimes confused with works by other Florentine and Umbrian painters who decorated the same chapel during the 1480s. Botticelli’s authorship is significant because he contributed several large narrative scenes to the original wall program.