Between 1508 and 1512, under the patronage ofPope Julius II, Michelangelo painted the chapel's ceiling, a project which changed the course of Western art and is regarded as one of the major artistic accomplishments of human civilization.[5][6]In a different climate, after theSack of Rome, he returned and, between 1535 and 1541, paintedThe Last Judgmentfor PopesClement VIIandPaul III.[7]The fame of Michelangelo's paintings has drawn multitudes of visitors to the chapel ever since they were revealed five hundred years ago.
While known as the location ofPapal conclaves, the primary function of the Sistine Chapel is as the chapel of thePapal Chapel(Cappella Pontificia), one of the two bodies of thePapal household, called until 1968 thePapal Court(Pontificalis Aula). At the time of Pope Sixtus IV in the late 15th century, thePapal Chapelcomprised about 200 people, including clerics, officials of theVaticanand distinguished laity. There were 50 occasions during the year on which it was prescribed by the Papal Calendar that the whole Papal Chapel should meet.[8]Of these 50 occasions, 35 were masses, of which 8 were held in Basilicas, in generalSt. Peter's, and were attended by large congregations. These included the Christmas Day and Easter masses, at which the Pope himself was thecelebrant. The other 27 masses could be held in a smaller, less public space, for which theCappella Maggiorewas used before it was rebuilt on the same site as the Sistine Chapel.
TheCappella Maggiorederived its name, the Greater Chapel, from the fact that there was another chapel also in use by the Pope and his retinue for daily worship. At the time of Pope Sixtus IV, this was the Chapel ofPope Nicholas V, which had been decorated byFra Angelico. TheCappella Maggioreis recorded as existing in 1368. According to a communication from Andreas of Trebizond to Pope Sixtus IV, by the time of its demolition to make way for the present chapel, theCappella Maggiorewas in a ruinous state with its walls leaning.[9]
The Sistine Chapel as it may have appeared in the 15th century (19th-century drawing)
Sistine Chapel in 2017
The present chapel, on the site of theCappella Maggiore, was designed byBaccio Pontellifor Pope Sixtus IV, for whom it is named, and built under the supervision of Giovannino de Dolci between 1473 and 1481.[1]The proportions of the present chapel appear to closely follow those of the original. After its completion, the chapel was decorated with frescoes by a number of the most famous artists of theHigh Renaissance, includingSandro Botticelli,Domenico Ghirlandaio,Pietro Perugino, andMichelangelo.[9]
The firstmassin the Sistine Chapel was celebrated on 15 August 1483, the Feast of theAssumption, at which ceremony the chapel was consecrated and dedicated to theVirgin Mary.[10]
The Sistine Chapel has maintained its function to the present day and continues to host the important services of the Papal Calendar, unless the Pope is travelling. There is a permanent choir, theSistine Chapel Choir, for whom much original music has been written, the most famous piece beingGregorio Allegri'sMiserere.[11]
One of the functions of the Sistine Chapel is as a venue for the election of each successive pope in aconclaveof theCollege of Cardinals. On the occasion of a conclave, a chimney is installed in the roof of the chapel, from which smoke arises as a signal. If white smoke, which is created by burning the ballots of the election, appears, a new Pope has been elected. If no candidate receives the required two-thirds vote, the cardinals send up black smoke—created by burning the ballots along with wet straw and chemical additives—it means that no successful election has yet occurred.[12]
The first papal conclave to be held on the Sistine Chapel was theconclave of 1492, which took place from 6 to 11 August of the same year and in whichPope Alexander VI, also known as Rodrigo Borja, was elected.
Canopies for each cardinal-elector were once used during conclaves—a sign of equal dignity. After the new Pope accepts his election, he would give his new name; at this time, the other Cardinals would tug on a rope attached to their seats to lower their canopies. Until reforms instituted bySaint Pius X, the canopies were of different colours to designate which Cardinals had been appointed by which Pope.Paul VIabolished the canopies altogether, since, under his papacy, the population of the College of Cardinals had increased so much to the point that they would need to be seated in rows of two against the walls, making the canopies obstruct the view of the cardinals in the back row. In the wake of a conclave taking place to preserve the integrity of the marble floor on the Sistine Chapel, carpenters install a slightly elevated wooden floor alongside a wooden ramp in the entrance for those Cardinals who for one reason or another need to be transported in a wheelchair.
The chapel is a high rectangular building, for which absolute measurements are hard to ascertain, as available measurements are for the interior: 40.9 metres (134 ft) long by 13.4 metres (44 ft) wide.
Its exterior is unadorned by architectural or decorative details, as is common in many Italian churches of theMedievalandRenaissanceeras. It has no exterior façade or exterior processional doorways, as the ingress has always been from internal rooms within theApostolic Palace(Papal Palace), and the exterior can be seen only from nearby windows and light-wells in the palace. Subsidence and cracking of masonry such as must also have affected the Cappella Maggiore has necessitated the building of very largebuttressesto brace the exterior walls. The accretion of other buildings has further altered the exterior appearance of the Chapel.
The building is divided into three stories of which the lowest is a very tall basement level with several utilitarian windows and a doorway giving onto the exterior court. Internally, the basement is robustly vaulted to support the chapel. Above is the main space, the Sistine Chapel, the vaulted ceiling rising to 20.7 metres (68 ft). The building had six tall arched windows down each side and two at either end, several of which have been blocked. Above the vault is a third story with wardrooms for guards. At this level, an open projectinggangwaywas constructed, which encircled the building supported on an arcade springing from the walls. The gangway has been roofed as it was a continual source of water leaking in to the vault of the Chapel.
The general proportions of the chapel use the length as the unit of measurement. This has been divided by three to get the width and by two to get the height. Maintaining the ratio, there were six windows down each side and two at either end. Defined proportions were a feature ofRenaissance architectureand reflected the growing interest in the Classical heritage of Rome.
A reconstruction of the appearance of the chapel in the 1480s, prior to the painting of the ceiling
The ceiling of the chapel is a flattenedbarrel vaultspringing from a course that encircles the walls at the level of the springing of the window arches. This barrel vault is cut transversely by smaller vaults over each window, which divide the barrel vault at its lowest level into a series of largependentivesrising from shallow pilasters between each window. The barrel vault was originally painted brilliant-blue and dotted with gold stars, to the design ofPiermatteo Lauro de' Manfredi da Amelia.[9]The pavement is inopus alexandrinum, a decorative style using marble and coloured stone in a pattern that reflects the earlier proportion in the division of the interior and also marks the processional way from the main door, used by the Pope on important occasions such asPalm Sunday.
A screen ortransennain marble byMino da Fiesole,Andrea Bregno, andGiovanni Dalmatadivides the chapel into two parts.[15]Originally these made equal space for the members of the Papal Chapel within the sanctuary near thealtarand the pilgrims and townsfolk without. However, with growth in the number of those attending the Pope, the screen was moved giving a reduced area for the faithful laity. Thetransennais surmounted by a row of ornate candlesticks, once gilt, and has a wooden door, where once there was an ornate door of gilded wrought iron. The sculptors of thetransennaalso provided thecantoriaor projecting choir gallery.
The first stage in the decoration of the Sistine Chapel was the painting of the ceiling in blue, studded with gilt stars,[9]and with decorative borders around the architectural details of the pendentives. This was entirely replaced when Michelangelo came to work on the ceiling in 1508.
Of the present scheme of frescos, the earliest part is that of the side walls. They are divided into three main tiers. The central tier of the walls has two cycles of paintings, which complement each other,The Life of MosesandThe Life of Christ. They were commissioned in 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV and executed byDomenico Ghirlandaio, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino,Cosimo Rosselliand their workshops. They originally ran all round the walls, but have since been replaced on both end walls.
The project was perhaps supervised by Perugino, who arrived at the chapel prior to the Florentines. It is probable that the commission of Ghirlandaio, Botticelli and Roselli was part of a reconciliation project betweenLorenzo de' Medici, thede factoruler ofFlorence, andPope Sixtus IV. The Florentines started to work in the Sistine Chapel in the spring of 1481.
Beneath the cycles ofThe Life of MosesandThe Life of Christ, the lower level of the walls is decorated with frescoed hangings in silver and gold. Above the narrative frescos, the upper tier is divided into two zones. At the lower level of the windows is aGallery of Popespainted at the same time as theLives. Around the arched tops of the windows are areas known as thelunetteswhich contain theAncestors of Christ, painted by Michelangelo as part of the scheme for the ceiling.
The ceiling was commissioned byPope Julius IIand painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. The commission was originally to paint the twelve apostles on the triangularpendentiveswhich support the vault; however, Michelangelo demanded a free hand in the pictorial content of the scheme. He painted a series of nine pictures showingGod's Creation of the World,God's Relationship with Mankind, andMankind's Fall from God's Grace. On the large pendentives he painted twelve Biblical and Classical men and women who prophesied that God would send Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind, and around the upper parts of the windows, theAncestors of Christ.
In 1515,Raphaelwas commissioned byPope Leo Xto design a series of ten tapestries to hang around the lower tier of the walls.[16]The tapestries depict events from theLife of St. Peterand theLife of St. Paul, the founders of the Christian Church in Rome, as described in theGospelsand theActs of the Apostles. Work began in mid-1515. Due to their large size, manufacture of the hangings was carried out in Brussels, and took four years under the hands of the weavers in the shop ofPieter van Aelst.[17]Raphael's tapestries were looted during theSack of Romein 1527 and were either burnt for their precious metal content or were scattered around Europe. In the late 20th century, a set was reassembled from several further sets that had been made after the first set, and displayed again in the Sistine Chapel in 1983. The tapestries continue in use at occasional ceremonies of particular importance. The full-size preparatorycartoonsfor seven of the ten tapestries are known as theRaphael Cartoonsand are in London.[18]
At this point, the decorative scheme displayed a consistent iconographical pattern. The tier of Popes, which, in the scheme intended by Pope Julius, would have appeared immediately below the Twelve Apostles, would have emphasised theapostolic succession. It has been argued that the present scheme shows the two Biblical Testaments merged in order to reveal the Old predicting and framing the New, synthesizing, the logic of the Christian Bible.[19]
This was disrupted by a further commission to Michelangelo to decorate the wall above the altar withThe Last Judgment, 1537–1541. The painting of this scene necessitated the obliteration of two episodes from theLives, theNativity of Jesusand theFinding of Moses; several of thePopesand two sets ofAncestors.
Michelangelo was commissioned byPope Julius IIin 1508 to repaint the vault, or ceiling, of the Chapel. The work was completed between 1508 and late 1512.[20]He painted theLast Judgmentover thealtar, between 1535 and 1541, on commission fromPope Paul IIIFarnese.[21]
Michelangelo was intimidated by the scale of the commission, and made it known from the outset of Julius II's approach that he would prefer to decline. He felt he was more of a sculptor than a painter, and was suspicious that such a large-scale project was being offered to him by enemies as a set-up for an inevitable fall. For Michelangelo, the project was a distraction from the major marble sculpture that had preoccupied him for the previous few years.[22]
The sources of Michelangelo's inspiration are not easily determined; both Joachite andAugustiniantheologians were within the sphere of Julius' influence.[23]
To be able to reach the ceiling, Michelangelo needed a support; the first idea was by Julius' favoured architectDonato Bramante, who wanted to build for him ascaffoldto be suspended in the air with ropes. However, Bramante did not successfully complete the task, and the structure he built was flawed. He had perforated the vault in order to lower strings to secure the scaffold. Michelangelo laughed when he saw the structure, and believed it would leave holes in the ceiling once the work was ended. He asked Bramante what was to happen when the painter reached the perforations, but the architect had no answer.
The matter was taken before the Pope, who ordered Michelangelo to build a scaffold of his own. Michelangelo created a flat wooden platform on brackets built out from holes in the wall, high up near the top of the windows. Contrary to popular belief, he did not lie on this scaffolding while he painted, but painted from a standing position.[24]
Michelangelo used bright colours, easily visible from the floor. On the lowest part of the ceiling he painted the ancestors of Christ. Above this he alternated male and female prophets, withJonahover the altar. On the highest section, Michelangelo painted nine stories from theBook of Genesis. He was originally commissioned to paint only twelve figures, theApostles. He turned down the commission because he saw himself as a sculptor, not a painter. The Pope offered to allow Michelangelo to paint biblical scenes of his own choice as a compromise. After the work was finished, there were more than three hundred figures. His figures showed the creation,Adam and Evein theGarden of Eden, and theGreat Flood.
The painted area is about 40 m (131 ft) long by 13 m (43 ft) wide. This means that Michelangelo painted well over 5,000 square feet (460 m2) of frescoes.[25]
The Last Judgementwas painted by Michelangelo from 1535 to 1541, between two important historic events: theSack of Romeby mercenary forces of theHoly Roman Empirein 1527, and theCouncil of Trentwhich commenced in 1545. The work was designed on a grand scale, and spans the entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. The painting depicts the second coming of Christ on theDay of Judgmentas described in theRevelation of John, Chapter 20. High on the wall is the heroic figure of Christ, with the saints clustered in groups around him. At the bottom left of the painting the dead are raised from their graves and ascend to be judged. To the right are those who are assigned toHelland are dragged down by demons.
The Last Judgementwas an object of a bitter dispute betweenCardinal Carafaand Michelangelo. Because he depicted naked figures, the artist was accused of immorality and obscenity. A censorship campaign (known as the "Fig-Leaf Campaign") was organized by Carafa and Monsignor Sernini (Mantua's ambassador) to remove the frescoes.
The Pope's Master of CeremoniesBiagio da Cesenasaid "it was most disgraceful that in so sacred a place there should have been depicted all those nude figures, exposing themselves so shamefully, and that it was no work for a papal chapel but rather for the public baths and taverns."[26]In response Michelangelo worked da Cesena's semblance into the scene asMinos, judge of the underworld. It is said that when he complained to the Pope, the pontiff responded that his jurisdiction did not extend to hell, so the portrait would have to remain. Michelangelo also painted his own portrait, on the flayed skin held bySt Bartholomew.
Thegenitaliain the fresco were later covered by the artistDaniele da Volterra, whom history remembers by the derogatory nickname "Il Braghettone" ("the breeches-painter").
The Sistine Chapel's ceiling restoration began on 7 November 1984. The restoration complete, the chapel was re-opened to the public on 8 April 1994. The part of the restoration in the Sistine Chapel that has caused the most concern is the ceiling, painted byMichelangelo. The emergence of the brightly colouredAncestors of Christfrom the gloom sparked a reaction of fear that the processes being employed in the cleaning were too severe and removed the original intent of the artist.
Daniel, before and after restoration.
The problem lies in the analysis and understanding of the techniques utilised by Michelangelo, and the technical response of the restorers to that understanding. A close examination of the frescoes of thelunettesconvinced the restorers that Michelangelo worked exclusively in "buon fresco"; that is, the artist worked only on freshly laid plaster and each section of work was completed while the plaster was still in its fresh state. In other words, Michelangelo did not work "a secco"; he did not come back later and add details onto the dry plaster.
The restorers, by assuming that the artist took a universal approach to the painting, have taken a universal approach to the restoration. A decision was made that all of the shadowy layer of animal glue and "lamp black", all of the wax, and all of the overpainted areas were contamination of one sort or another: smoke deposits, earlier restoration attempts, and painted definition by later restorers in an attempt to enliven the appearance of the work. Based on this decision, according to Arguimbau's critical reading of the restoration data that have been provided, thechemistsof the restoration team decided upon asolventthat would effectively strip the ceiling down to its paint-impregnated plaster. After treatment, only that which was painted "buon fresco" would remain.[27]
View of the West wall beforeThe Last Judgement
Raphael tapestries in the Sistine Chapel
View ofThe Last Judgementas originally painted by Michelangelo
Drawing byPinturicchioof Perugino's lostAssumptionin the Sistine Chapel.
The only reproduction of the Sistine Chapel ceiling was painted by Gary Bevans atEnglish Martyrs' Catholic ChurchinGoring-by-Sea,Worthing, West Sussex, England.[28]A full-size architectural and photographic replica of the entire building was commissioned by the Mexican Government and funded by private donors.[29]It was on view at Mexico City from 1 June to 15 July 2016; it may then be exhibited at other Mexican cities and possibly elsewhere in the world. It took 2.6 million high definition photographs to reproduce the totality of the frescoes and tapestries.[30]A video of the history of the Chapel is shown to the visitors before entering the building; inside, a light-and-sound demonstration explains the content of each of the frescoes.
Quotes on Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel[edit]
Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving.
This work has been and truly is a beacon of our art, and it has brought such benefit and enlightenment to the art of painting that it was sufficient to illuminate a world which for so many hundreds of years had remained in the state of darkness. And, to tell the truth, anyone who is a painter no longer needs to concern himself about seeing innovations and inventions, new ways of painting poses, clothing on figures, and various awe-inspiring details, for Michelangelo gave to this work all the perfection that can be given to such details.
— Giorgio Vasarion Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel
^Saunders, Fr. William P. "The Path to the Papacy".Arlington Catholic Herald, 17 March 2005. Retrieved on 2 June 2008.
^Chambers, D. S. (1978), "Papal Conclaves and Prophetic Mystery in the Sistine Chapel",Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, The Warburg Institute,41: 322–326,doi:10.2307/750878,JSTOR750878.
^Cheney, Iris. Review of "Raphael's Cartoons in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen and the Tapestries for the Sistine Chapel" by John Shearman.The Art Bulletin, Volume 56, No. 4, December 1974. 607–609.
^Stollhans, Cynthia (1988), "Michelangelo's Nude Saint Catherine of Alexandria",Woman's Art Journal, Woman's Art, Inc.,19(1): 26–30,doi:10.2307/1358651,ISSN0270-7993,JSTOR1358651.
^Letter. Original:(in German)Ich kann euch nicht ausdrücken, wie sehr ich euch zu mir gewünscht habe, damit ihr nur einen Begriff hättet, was ein einziger und ganzer Mensch machen und ausrichten kann; ohne die Sixtinische Kapelle gesehen zu haben, kann man sich keinen anschauenden Begriff machen, was ein Mensch vermag.Italian Journey, 2nd journey to Rome.Italienische Reise, Teil 21
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