The Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

between 1508 and 1512, is one of the most renowned artworks of the High Renaissance. Central to the ceiling decoration are nine scenes from the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning") ...

of which ''

The Creation of Adam '' Creation of Adam'' () is a fresco painting by Italian artist Michelangelo, which forms part of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, painted c. 1508–1512. It illustrates the Biblical creation narrative from the Book of Genesis in which God gives li ...

'' is the best known, the hands of God and

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

being reproduced in countless imitations. The complex design includes several sets of individual figures, both clothed and nude, which allowed Michelangelo to fully demonstrate his skill in creating a huge variety of poses for the human figure, and have provided an enormously influential pattern book of models for other artists ever since.

Gallery

Biblical narratives

Along the centre of the ceiling are nine scenes depicting the Story of Creation, the Downfall of Humanity and the Story of Noah as told in the

. File:First Day of Creation.jpg, The First Day of Creation, God divides light from Darkness. This was the final narrative to be painted. File:Dividing Light from Darkness.jpg, Detail of the figure of God, which was painted by Michelangelo in a single day and may represent Michelangelo himself, painting the ceiling File:The Creation of the Sun and the Moon, Michelangelo (1508-1512).jpg, To the left, God creates the Earth and, to the right, God creates the Sun to light the day and the Moon to light the night. File:Dividing water from Heaven.jpg, God separating the waters from the heavens. (Context) File:Earth Water's separation.jpg, Separating the waters (detail) File:Adam na restauratie.jpg, ''

'' shows God giving life to the first man, while

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

, the first woman, watches from beneath his cloak. File:Michelangelo, Creation of Adam 04.jpg, Detail of God from ''The Creation of Adam'' File:Michelangelo, Creation of Eve 00.jpg, ''The Creation of Eve'' is based on a sculpture in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

. File:Forbidden fruit.jpg, The Downfall of Adam and Eve and their Expulsion from the

Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan-Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the Bible, biblical paradise described in Book of Genesis, Genes ...

. Two episodes are combined in a single frame. File:Vaticano 2011 (128).JPG, Drunkenness of Noah File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 020.jpg,

Noah's Ark Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in t ...

floats in the background while people struggle to escape the rising water of the Great Flood. File:Deluge detail.jpg, Detail from the scene of the Great Flood File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 015.jpg, The sacrifice of

Noah Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...

after the Flood (in context, before restoration). This picture is thought by some to represent The sacrifices of

Cain and Abel In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain ''Qayīn'', in pausa ''Qāyīn''; gr, Κάϊν ''Káïn''; ar, قابيل/قايين, Qābīl / Qāyīn and Abel ''Heḇel'', in pausa ''Hāḇel''; gr, Ἅβελ ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hāb� ...

. File:Sacrifice of Noah michaelangelo.jpg, ''Sacrifice of Noah'' (post-restoration. Detail)

Prophets and Sibyls

The Prophets of Israel and the Sibyls of the pagan world foretold the coming of the

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...

. Both have been included by Michelangelo as a sign that the Messiah (

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

) was to come not just for the Jews but also for the

Gentile Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym for ...

s (non-Jewish people). File:Даниил.jpg,

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

File:Joel (Michelangelo).jpg, Joel File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 031.jpg, Zechariah File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 027.jpg,

Jeremiah Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish ...

lamenting the fall of Jerusalem File:Ezekiel.jpg,

Ezekiel Ezekiel (; he, יְחֶזְקֵאל ''Yəḥezqēʾl'' ; in the Septuagint written in grc-koi, Ἰεζεκιήλ ) is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ezekiel is acknow ...

hears the word of the Lord. File:Isaiah-Michelangelo.jpg, The

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...

File:Sistine jonah.jpg, The prophet Jonah File:CumaeanSibylByMichelangelo.jpg, The

Cumaean Sibyl The Cumaean Sibyl was the priestess presiding over the Apollonian oracle at Cumae, a Greek colony located near Naples, Italy. The word ''sibyl'' comes (via Latin) from the ancient Greek word ''sibylla'', meaning prophetess. There were many sibyls ...

File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 033.jpg, The

Erythraean Sibyl The Erythraean Sibyl was the prophetess of classical antiquity presiding over the Apollonian oracle at Erythrae, a town in Ionia opposite Chios, which was built by Neleus, the son of Codrus. The word ''Sibyl'' comes (via Latin) from the anc ...

File:PersianSibylByMichelangelo.jpg, The

Persian Sibyl Michelangelo's rendering of the Persian Sibyl By Santa Maria degli Scalzi ">calzi,_Venice.html" ;"title="Giuseppe Torretto Scalzi, Venice">Santa Maria degli Scalzi The Persian Sibyl - also known as the Babylonian, Chaldaean, Hebrew or Egyptia ...

File:DelphicSibylByMichelangelo.jpg, The Delphic Sibyl File:LibyanSibyl SistineChapel.jpg, The Libyan Sibyl File:Sibyl of Delphi - Sistine Chapel - closeup.JPG, Detail of the Delphic Sibyl

Pendentives

The four corner pendentives show violent episodes in which the People of Israel were rescued from enemies, or from their own sinful ways. File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 024.jpg, The Brazen serpent File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 034.jpg,

Haman Haman ( ; also known as Haman the Agagite or Haman the evil) is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who according to the Hebrew Bible was an official in the court of the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, commonly identified as Xerxes I ...

's punishment File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 025.jpg, David and Goliath File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 038.jpg, Judith and Holofernes

Ancestors

The ancestors of Jesus are listed in the Biblical books of Matthew and Luke. This is the first known large painted series, although they were often shown in stained glass. See Tree of Jesse. Although each picture has a title, the characters cannot be positively identified. File:Achim ed Eliud.jpg, Achim / Eliud File:Aminadab a.jpg, Aminadab File:Michelangelo - Sistine Chapel ceiling - Lunette "Asa - Jehoshaphat - Joram".jpg, Asa / Jehosaphat / Joram File:Asor und Zadoch (Michelangelo).jpg, Azor / Sadoch File:Michelangelo - Sistine Chapel - Lunette Eleazar and Mathan - WGA.jpg, Eleazar / Mathan File:Michelangelo - Sistine Chapel ceiling - Lunette "Hezekiah - Manasseh - Amon".jpg, Hezekiah / Manasseh / Amon File:Jacob - Joseph.jpg, Jacob / Joseph File:Jesse - David - Solomon.jpg, Jesse / David / Solomon File:Josiah-Jechoniah-Sheatiel.jpg, Josiah / Jechoniah / Sheatiel File:Michelangelo Sistine Chapel ceiling - Naason restored.jpg, Naason File:Rehoboam - Abijah.jpg, Rehoboam / Abijah File:Salmon - Boaz - Obed.jpg, Salmon / Boaz / Obed File:Uzziah - Jotham - Ahaz.jpg, Uzziah / Jotham / Ahaz File:Zorobabel a.jpg, Zerubbabel / Abiud / Eliakim File:Achim detail.jpg, Detail of the Achim lunette File:Michelangelo - Sistine chapel ceiling - Asa - Jehoshaphat - Joram.jpg, Detail of the Asa, Jehosaphat and Joram lunette File:Michelangelo - Sistine Chapel - Lunette Eleazar - detail Eleazar with wife.jpg, Detail from the Eleazar lunette File:Ezechias detail.jpg, Detail of the Ezechias lunette File:Salmon detail.jpg, Detail of the Salmon lunette

Spandrels

Above the windows are a series of families with young children. The children may represent particular children who are mentioned in the Bible, such as

Isaac Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...

and

Samuel Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

. The composition of many of the pictures is similar to that found in depictions of the

Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first ...

resting on the

Flight into Egypt The flight into Egypt is a story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 2:13– 23) and in New Testament apocrypha. Soon after the visit by the Magi, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to flee to Egypt with Mary and the i ...

. File:Salmon Spandrel.jpg, In the Salmon spandrel a woman is making a garment while her child looks on. File:Ozias Spandrel.jpg, In the Ozias spandrel a young child is attempting to breast feed from his exhausted-looking mother, who clasps a round loaf in her hand. File:Michelangelo_Buonarroti_037.jpg, Jesse spandrel, before restoration File:Jesse Spandrel.jpg, Jesse spandrel, after restoration. In this spandrel, a young woman who may represent the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

gazes out with a prophetic expression. The details of her eyes were removed in the recent restoration. File:Ezechias Spandrel.jpg, The Ezechias spandrel shows a small child gazing out of the picture.

Ignudi

The ''Ignudi'' that surround the narrative scenes may show the perfection of Humanity, or may represent

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

s. They were often imitated by other artists. File:Michelangelo_Buonarroti_013.jpg File:Michelangelo_ignudo2.jpg File:Michelangelo, ignudo 06b.jpg File:Ignudo 03.jpg File:Michelangelo_Sistine_Chapel_-_Ignudo_above_Erythraean_Sibyl.jpg, Above the Erithraean Sibyl File:Sistine_Chapel_fresco_of_an_Ignudo_right_of_Isaiah_-_Michelangelo.jpg, To the right of "Isaiah" File:Michelangelo_Sistine_Chapel_ceiling-_Creation_of_man_Ignudo1.JPG, File:Michelangelo_Sistine_Chapel_-_Ignudo_above_Cumaean_Sibyl_-_restored.jpg, Above the Cumean Sibyl File:Michelangelo, ignudo 10b.jpg File:Ignudo 01.jpg, The great muscularity of the lower back of this figure suggests that he was a stonemason. File:Ignudo 05.jpg File:Ignudo 06.jpg File:Ignudo 04.jpg, Above Jeremiah. This figure is one of the most reproduced on the ceiling. File:Michelangelo_Sistine_Chapel_-_Ignudo_above_Libyan_Sibyl_-_restored.jpg, Above Libyan Sibyl

Shields

The shields represent violent episodes in the history of Israel. File:Medallion Death of Uriah.jpg, The Death of Uriah File:Medallion detail.jpg, Detail of The Idol of Baal

References

* Massimo Giacometti, ''The Sistine Chapel'', a collection of essays on aspects of the chapel, its decoration and the restoration of Michelangelo's frescoes, by Carlo Pietrangeli, André Chastel, John Shearman, John O'Malley S.J., Pierluigi de Vecchi, Michael Hirst, Fabrizio Mancinelli, Gianluigi Colallucci, and Franco Bernabei. 1984, Harmony Books * Gabriele Bartz and Eberhard König, ''Michelangelo'', 1998, Könemann,

External links

Vatican Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallery Of Sistine Chapel Ceiling Sistine Chapel ceiling