Gallery of Sistine Chapel ceiling

480px|thumb|right|Plan showing the pictorial elements of the ceiling. 
The Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, is one of the most renowned artworks of the High Renaissance. The ceiling is that of the large Sistine Chapel built within the Vatican by Pope Sixtus IV, begun in 1477 and finished by 1480. 
The paintings on the ceiling represent Biblical stories about the Creation, Downfall and Salvation of Humankind. This gallery illustrates the main article at Sistine Chapel ceiling.
==Gallery==
Image:Sistine_Chapel_ceiling_left.png|The left half of the entire ceiling, after restoration
Image:Sistine_Chapel_ceiling_right.png|The right half of the entire ceiling, after restoration
===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.
 
Image:First Day of Creation.jpg|The First Day of Creation, God divides light from Darkness. This was the final narrative to be painted.
Image: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. 
Image:Dividing water from Heaven.jpg|God separating the waters from the heavens. (Context)
File:Earth_Water's_separation.jpg|Separating the waters.
File:Adam_na_restauratie.jpg|The Creation of Adam, one of the most famous of all paintings, shows God giving life to the first man, while Eve, the first woman, watches from beneath his cloak. 
Image:Hands of God and Adam.jpg|The iconic image of the Hand of God giving life to Adam. 
Image:Creation of Eve.jpg|The Creation of Eve is based on a sculpture in Bologna. 
Image: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.
Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 020.jpg|Noah's Ark floats in the background while people struggle to escape the rising water of the Great Flood. 
Image:Deluge detail.jpg|Detail from the scene of the Great Flood. 
Image: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", Detail
===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 Gentiles (non-Jewish people).
Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 026.jpg|Daniel
Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 029.jpg|Joel 
Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 031.jpg|Zechariah 
Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 027.jpg|Jeremiah lamenting the fall of Jerusalem.
Image:Ezekiel.jpg|Ezekiel hears the word of the Lord.
Image:Isaiah-Michelangelo.jpg|The prophet Isaiah
Image:Sistine jonah.jpg|The prophet Jonah
Image:CumaeanSibylByMichelangelo.jpg|The Cumaean Sibyl
Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 033.jpg|The Erythraean Sibyl 
Image:PersianSibylByMichelangelo.jpg|The Persian Sibyl
Image:DelphicSibylByMichelangelo.jpg|The Delphic Sibyl
Image:LibyanSibyl SistineChapel.jpg|The Libyan Sibyl
File:Sibyl_of_Delphi_-_Sistine_Chapel_-_closeup.JPG|Detail of the Delphic Sibyl
===Pendentives===
The four corner pendentives show violent episodes in which the People of Israel were rescued from enemies, or from their own sinful ways.
Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 024.jpg|The Brazen serpent
Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 034.jpg|Haman's punishment
Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 025.jpg|David and Goliath
Image:Michelangelo Buonarroti 038.jpg|Judith and Holofernes
 
===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. 
 
Image:Achim a.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 / Matthan
File:Michelangelo_-_Sistine_Chapel_ceiling_-_Lunette_"Hezekiah_-_Manasseh_-_Amon".jpg|Hezekiah / Manasseh / Amon
Image:Jacob - Joseph.jpg|Jacob / Joseph
Image:Jesse - David - Solomon.jpg|Jesse / David / Solomon
Image:Josiah-Jechoniah-Sheatiel.jpg|Josiah / Jechoniah / Sheatiel
File:Michelangelo_Sistine_Chapel_ceiling_-_Naason_restored.jpg|Naason
Image:Rehoboam - Abijah.jpg|Rehoboam / Abijah
Image:Salmon - Boaz - Obed.jpg|Salmon / Boaz / Obed
Image:Uzziah_-_Jotham_-_Ahaz.jpg|Uzziah / Jotham / Ahaz
Image:Zorobabel a.jpg|Zerubbabel / Abiud / Eliakim 
Image: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
Image:Ezechias detail.jpg|Detail of the Ezechias lunette. 
Image:Salmon detail.jpg|Detail of the Salmon lunette. 
===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. The composition of many of the pictures is similar to that found in depictions of the Holy Family resting on the Flight into Egypt. 
 
Image:Salmon Spandrel.jpg|In the Salmon spandrel a woman is making a garment while her child looks on. 
Image: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
Image: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. 
Image:Ezechias Spandrel.jpg|The Ezechias spandrel shows a small child gazing out of the picture.
===Ignudi===
The Ignudi which surround the narrative scenes may show the perfection of Humanity, or may represent angels. They were often imitated by other artists.
File:Michelangelo_Buonarroti_013.jpg
File:Michelangelo_ignudo2.jpg
Image:Ignudo 02.jpg 
Image: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"
File:Michelangelo_Sistine_Chapel_ceiling-_Creation_of_man_Ignudo1.JPG| 
File:Michelangelo_Sistine_Chapel_-_Ignudo_above_Cumaean_Sibyl_-_restored.jpg|From "The Creation of Eve" group, above the Cumean Sibyl
File:SixtineDetail.JPG
Image:Ignudo 01.jpg|The great muscularity of the lower back of this figure suggests that he was a stonemason. 
Image:Ignudo 05.jpg 
Image:Ignudo 06.jpg 
Image: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 Lybian Sibyl
===Shields===
The shields represent violent episodes in the history of Israel. 
Image:Medallion Death of Uriah.jpg|The Death of Uriah 
Image:Medallion detail.jpg|Detail of The Idol of Baal 
== References ==
* 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 
== External links ==
* Vatican Museum
Category:Michelangelo paintings
Category:Fresco paintings
Ceiling
Category:Ceilings
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pt:Teto da Capela Sistina