Sistine Chapel ceiling

The Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, at the commission of Pope Julius II, is one of the most renowned artworks of the Renaissance. The ceiling is that of the large Papal Chapel built within the Vatican between 1477 and 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV after whom it is named the Sistine Chapel. The chapel is the location for Papal Conclaves and many important services.

The ceiling's various painted elements form part of a larger scheme of decoration within the Chapel, which includes the large fresco The Last Judgment on the sanctuary wall, also by Michelangelo, wall paintings by a team of the most highly regarded painters of the late 15th century including Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Perugino, and a set of large tapestries by Raphael, the whole illustrating much of the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

Michelangelo was a sculptor. He referred to himself as such, and vastly preferred working with marble to almost anything else that life offered. Prior to the ceiling frescoes, the only painting he'd done was during his brief stint as a student in Ghirlandaio's workshop.

The ceiling is nearly 68 feet off the ground. To be able to paint the ceiling, Michelangelo needed something to support him for hours on end. An important man in town offered to build a special scaffold that would hang from the ceiling by heavy ropes. Michelangelo didn't like that idea because he didn't want to leave any holes in the ceiling. Instead, the artist built his own scaffold, which was held high in place by brackets that connected to the walls.

Michelangelo had also to overcome mould. It might not sound like much of a drawback, but mould could undo even the most magnificent painting simply by making the plaster wet and crumbly. The artist's most trusted assistant, Jacopo l'Indaco, invented a new method of making plaster that would stay dry. In effect, they outwitted mould.

The painting of the ceiling was not without its more intense obstacles either. For one thing, the pope wasn't all that good about paying. As an artist in that time period, Michelangelo made his money by doing projects, like the Sistine Chapel ceiling. But because the ceiling project took so much of his time, he had very little time to do other artwork. If the pope didn't pay him, he didn't get any money at all. 

On November 1, 1512, the ceiling was revealed to the world. Pope Julius II was pleased, and other assembled audience members were thrilled and awed. It was an astounding, intimidating, huge piece of work.

For an year after the ceiling was completed, Michelangelo had to have other people read to him because his vision had deteriorated so much. The experience also nearly permanently altered his eating habits and made him habitually tired.