The Sistine Chapel Ceiling

Four years on a scaffold

Pope Julius II asked Michelangelo, who saw himself first as a sculptor, to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. He worked on it from 1508 to 1512, standing on a scaffold he designed himself. Along the centre he painted nine scenes from the Book of Genesis, from the Creation to the story of Noah, surrounded by prophets, sibyls and nude youths.

The image shown here is one of the nine central scenes: the Creation of the Sun, Moon and Plants.

God appears twice

At the right, God sweeps through the sky with his arms flung out, creating the sun and the moon. His face is stern, his white beard flying.

At the left, the same figure is seen from behind, flying away into the distance as he creates the plants on the earth. Showing God twice in one scene gives a sense of speed and power.

A golden sun

The great golden disc of the sun hangs above, with small figures of angels around God. The colours have been brightened by the restoration of the 1980s and 1990s.

A reluctant painter

Michelangelo was mainly a sculptor, and he had been working on a huge tomb for Julius II when the pope asked him to paint the chapel ceiling instead. He accepted unwillingly. He had little experience of fresco, the technique of painting on wet plaster, and the ceiling covered more than five hundred square metres.

The original plan was simple: twelve apostles and decorative patterns. Michelangelo proposed a far more ambitious scheme, and the pope agreed. The result became one of the most complex painted ceilings ever made.

The nine scenes of Genesis

The nine central panels tell the story of Genesis in three groups. The first three show the creation of the world: the Separation of Light from Darkness, the Creation of the Sun, Moon and Plants, and the Separation of Land from Water. The next three show the creation of humanity: the Creation of Adam, the Creation of Eve and the Fall and Expulsion. The last three tell the story of Noah: his sacrifice, the Flood and his drunkenness.

Michelangelo painted them in reverse order, starting with Noah near the entrance and ending with the Creation above the altar. His style grew bolder as he went, and the late scenes are larger and simpler than the first.

Working on the scaffold

Contrary to legend, Michelangelo did not paint lying on his back. He stood on a wooden platform, bending backwards and looking up. He wrote a humorous poem describing the strain: his beard pointing to heaven, his neck bent, paint dripping onto his face. The work was physically exhausting.

He had assistants for preparing plaster and grinding colours, but he painted most of the figures himself. Each day a fresh patch of plaster, a giornata, was laid and painted before it dried.

The great restoration

Between 1980 and 1994, the ceiling was cleaned of centuries of candle smoke, dirt and old varnish. The restoration revealed bright, clear colours, pinks, greens and oranges, that surprised many who had known the ceiling as dark and solemn. The cleaning caused debate at the time, but it has changed how we understand Michelangelo as a colourist.

Where to see it

The ceiling is in the Sistine Chapel, part of the Vatican Museums in Rome. The chapel is also where cardinals meet to elect a new pope. Our hand-painted oil reproduction recreates the panel shown here. For more of the world’s greatest works, explore our top 100 most famous paintings.

Questions about the Sistine Chapel Ceiling

Who commissioned it?

Pope Julius II.

When was it painted?

From 1508 to 1512.

What does it show?

Nine scenes from Genesis at the centre, with prophets, sibyls and other figures around them.

Which scene is shown here?

The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Plants.

Did Michelangelo paint lying down?

No. He stood on a scaffold and painted looking upward.

When was the ceiling restored?

Between 1980 and 1994, revealing much brighter colours.

What happens in the Sistine Chapel today?

Besides receiving visitors, it is where the conclave meets to elect a new pope.

Sources and image credit

• Vatican Museums: Sistine Chapel
• Wikimedia Commons: Creation of the Sun and Moon

Public-domain reproduction of a scene from the Sistine Chapel ceiling, via Wikimedia Commons. Detail images are crops of the same image; no reconstruction or upscaling.