Andy McIlvainCeiling of the Sistine Chapel
Video from Smarthistory
The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of Michelangelo's most famous works. Learn more about the history of this masterpiece. 1508-12, fresco (Vatican, Rome). Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.
The Sistine Chapel ceiling (Italian: Volta della Cappella Sistina), painted by Michelangelo between 1508 - 1512, is a cornerstone work of High Renaissance art. The ceiling is in the Sistine Chapel, the large papal chapel built within the Vatican between 1477 - 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV, for whom the chapel is named. It was painted at the commission of Pope Julius II.