View source for Gallery of the Sistine Chapel ceiling

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{{Hatnote|This gallery illustrates the main article at [[Sistine Chapel ceiling]].
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[[File:Hands of God and Adam.jpg|thumb|300px|The iconic image of the Hand of God giving life to Adam]]
The '''Sistine Chapel ceiling''', painted by [[Michelangelo]] 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]] of which ''[[The Creation of Adam]]'' is the best known, the hands of [[God in Christianity|God]] and [[Adam]] 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==
{{Further|Sistine Chapel ceiling#Pictorial scheme{{!}}Sistine Chapel pictoral scheme}}
{{wideimage|CAPPELLA SISTINA Ceiling.jpg|900px|The ceiling. Not shown are the lunettes around the windows, also painted by Michelangelo; see plan below.}}
{{wideimage|Sistine Chapel ceiling diagram overlay composite.png|900px|Plan of the pictorial elements of the ceiling showing the division of the narrative scenes into three themes}}

===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 [[Book of Genesis]].
<gallery>
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:Michelangelo, Separation of the Earth from the Waters 00.jpg|God separating the waters from the heavens. (Context)
File:Earth Water's separation.jpg|Separating the waters (detail)
File:Adam na restauratie.jpg|''[[The Creation of Adam]]'' shows God giving life to the first man, while [[Eve]], 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]].
File:Forbidden fruit.jpg|The Downfall of Adam and Eve and their Expulsion from the [[Garden of Eden]]. Two episodes are combined in a single frame.
File:Vaticano 2011 (128).JPG|Drunkenness of Noah
File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 020.jpg|[[Noah's Ark]] 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]] after the Flood (in context, before restoration). This picture is thought by some to represent The sacrifices of [[Cain and Abel]].
File:Sacrifice of Noah michaelangelo.jpg|''Sacrifice of Noah'' (post-restoration. Detail)
</gallery>

===Prophets and Sibyls===
The Prophets of Israel and the Sibyls of the pagan world foretold the coming of the [[Messiah]]. Both have been included by Michelangelo as a sign that the Messiah ([[Jesus Christ]]) was to come not just for the Jews but also for the [[Gentile]]s (non-Jewish people).
<gallery>
File:Даниил.jpg|[[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]]
File:Joel (Michelangelo).jpg|[[Joel (prophet)|Joel]]
File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 031.jpg|[[Zechariah (Hebrew prophet)|Zechariah]]
File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 027.jpg|[[Jeremiah]] lamenting the fall of Jerusalem
File:Ezekiel.jpg|[[Ezekiel]] hears the word of the Lord.
File:Isaiah-Michelangelo.jpg|The [[prophet]] [[Isaiah]]
File:Sistine jonah.jpg|The prophet [[Jonah]]
File:CumaeanSibylByMichelangelo.jpg|The [[Cumaean Sibyl]]
File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 033.jpg|The [[Erythraean Sibyl]]
File:PersianSibylByMichelangelo.jpg|The [[Persian Sibyl]]
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
</gallery>

===Pendentives===
The four corner pendentives show violent episodes in which the People of Israel were rescued from enemies, or from their own sinful ways.
<gallery>
File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 024.jpg|[[Nehushtan|The Brazen serpent]]
File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 034.jpg|[[Haman (Bible)|Haman]]'s punishment
File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 025.jpg|[[Goliath (Bible)|David and Goliath]]
File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 038.jpg|[[Book of Judith|Judith and Holofernes]]
</gallery>

===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.
<gallery>
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
</gallery>

===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]] and [[Samuel (Bible)|Samuel]]. The composition of many of the pictures is similar to that found in depictions of the [[Holy Family]] resting on the [[Flight into Egypt]].
<gallery>
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]] 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.
</gallery>

===Ignudi===
The ''Ignudi'' that surround the narrative scenes may show the perfection of Humanity, or may represent [[angel]]s. They were often imitated by other artists.
<gallery caption="The ''Drunkenness of Noah'' group" perrow="4">
File:Michelangelo_Buonarroti_013.jpg
File:Michelangelo_ignudo2.jpg
</gallery>

<gallery caption="The ''Sacrifice of Noah'' group" perrow="4">
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"
</gallery>

<gallery caption="The ''Creation of Eve'' group" perrow="4">
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
</gallery>

<gallery caption="The ''Separating the Waters'' group" perrow="4">
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
</gallery>

<gallery caption="The ''First Day of Creation'' group" perrow="4">
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
</gallery>

===Shields===
There are 10 shields (medallions) representing violent episodes in the history of Israel.
<gallery>
File:Medallion Death of Uriah.jpg|'The Death of Uriah'
File:Medallion detail.jpg|Detail of 'The Idol of Baal'
Michelangelo, medaglione 01.jpg|'Joab sneaking up on Abner to murder him'{{sfn|Hirst|1994|p=64}} or 'Death of Razis'{{sfn|Panyard|2013|p=10}} or 'Suicide of Razis'{{sfn|Zöllner|Thoenes|2022|p=162}}
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of works by Michelangelo]]
* [[Index of Vatican City-related articles]]

== References ==
<references/>

== Sources ==
* '''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 {{ISBN|0-517-56274-X}}
* '''Gabriele Bartz and Eberhard König''', ''Michelangelo'', 1998, Könemann, {{ISBN|3-8290-0253-X}}
* {{cite book
 | last1 = Hirst | first1 = Michael
 | date = 1994
 | title = The Sistine Chapel: A Glorious Restoration
 | ISBN = 978-0810938403
}}
* {{cite book
 | last1 = Panyard | first1 = Christine M.
 | date = 2013
 | title = The Sistine Chapel: a Biblical tour
 | ISBN = 978-0-8091-0593-9
}}
* {{cite book
 | last1 =Zöllner | first1 = Frank 
 | last2 =Thoenes | first2 = Christof 
 | date = 2022
 | title = Michelangelo
 | ISBN = 978-3-8365-3716-2
}}

== External links ==
{{commons|Sistine Chapel ceiling}}
* [http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Volta.html Vatican Museum]

{{Michelangelo}}
{{Sistine Chapel|state=expanded}}
[[Category:Noah]]
[[Category:Adam and Eve]]

[[Category:Sistine Chapel ceiling]]