- Compare11 3/8 x 8 7/16 in. (28.9 x 21.4 cm)
- Compare12 9/10 x 12.2/5 ft. (3.95 x 3.80 meters)
- The technically difficult process of painting in fresco in which the water-based pigments must be applied fast, before the wet plaster sets, was further complicated by the curvature and surface irregularities of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
- Michelangelo habitually used male workshop assistants as models to depict female bodies. In the fresco, he transformed the male model's face into that of an idealized sibyl (a female prophet) and added a classicizing headdress.
- Since the sibyl rests much of her weight on her left foot, Michelangelo paid particular attention to the foot in the preparatory drawing.
- The sibyl is closing a monumental Book of Revelations, which describes the prophesies that foretold Christ's arrival. Michelangelo's focus on her hands emphasizes the weight of the enormous book.
Juxtapositions
Michelangelo completed a study of the Libyan Sibyl before painting this figure on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Move your mouse around the thumbnail to compare the drawing and fresco, then use the sliders to explore specific details.
Michelangelo completed a study of the Libyan Sibyl before painting this figure on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Move your finger around the thumbnail to compare the drawing and fresco, then use the sliders to explore specific details.
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Michelangelo Buonarroti (Italian, born Caprese 1475-died Rome 1564)
Studies for the Libyan Sibyl (recto); Studies for the Libyan Sibyl and a small Sketch for a Seated Figure (verso)
1510–1511
Red chalk, with small accents of white chalk on the left shoulder of the figure in the main study (recto); soft black chalk, or less probably charcoal (verso)
11 3/8 x 8 7/16 in. (28.9 x 21.4 cm)
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1924 (24.197.2)
Michelangelo Buonarroti (Italian, born Caprese 1475-died Rome 1564)
Libyan Sibyl from the Sistine Chapel ceiling
1510-11
Fresco painting, exectured in about 20 days
12 9/10 x 12.2/5 ft. (3.95 x 3.80 meters) Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Italy
Photo of Sistine Chapel ceiling by Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
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