Study Tour to Rome: Rome, St. Peter’s & the Sistine Chapel Part Two: The Sistine Chapel

Sixtus IV della Rovere built the Sistine Chapel Dimensions are those given in the Old Testament for the Temple of Solomon

Temple of Solomon first temple, destroyed by Babylonians the Second Jewish Temple, destroyed by Romans in 70 CE “New Jesrusalem” at end of time “the Holy Place”—Ark of the Covenant inside Temple Mount in Jerusalem

upper: the first popes: Peter to Marcellus (period of persecution & martyrdom) Lower: Law of Moses & Law of Christ

1480s Pope Sixtus IV called the greatest Florentine artists to Rome to work on the Sistine Chapel 6

Old Testament Law of Moses

New Testament Law of Christ

Typology—Moses is a prefigurement of Christ Papal claims for authority lineage legitimate successors to the Roman emperors

Perugino Altarpiece: Assumption of the Virgin (destroyed) Sistine Chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary

Pope Julius II della Rovere 1508 commissions Michelangelo to repaint the ceiling nephew of Sixtus IV

12 The Sistine Chapel: Two very different time periods Michelangelo, ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, fresco, Vatican, Rome, Last Judgment,

Sixtus IV was Julius II’s uncle Julius II “Warrior Pope” leading to a “new Age of Gold” “you want me to have you thrown off the scaffolding?” 1965 film, nominated for 5 Academy Awards 13

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Michelangelo started with the Noah scenes, moved to the God scenes viewed chronologically from altar 15

Madison & Danielle’s presentation on the Central scenes of the ceiling

Dante’s presentation on the Prophets and Sibyls

Erin Presentation on the Ancestors of Christ the-ancestors-of- christ/?auth_key=8b8cc8f7a79615ae0236b88bf2bc7a3 8df29b82e the-ancestors-of- christ/?auth_key=8b8cc8f7a79615ae0236b88bf2bc7a3 8df29b82e

Emylia’s Presentation on the Ignudi

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1507 Giles of Viterbo sermon Julius II—new golden age 1507 Giles of Viterbo sermon Julius II—new golden age—specifically refered to the Ages of Man (Ovid & Augustine) NEW GOLDEN AGE—RENAISSANCE ROME

Leo X (Medici, son of Lorenzo the Magnificent): Tapestries with scenes from the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles Designed by Raphael Woven at the workshop of Pieter van Aelst in Brussels the Sistine tapestry set cost five times as much as the ceiling celebrating the origins of the papacy & Leo as Christ’s representative on earth

25 The Sistine Chapel: Two very different time periods Michelangelo, ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, fresco, Vatican, Rome, Last Judgment,

Small interruption between talking about the ceiling and the Last Judgment….

…to talk about Moses

1505--summoned to Rome to work on the Tomb of Pope Julius II. Very elaborate—more than forty figures colossal, planned for St. Peters Michelangelo. Tomb of Pope Julius II, proposed reconstruction of project of 1505.

“The Tragedy of the Tomb” summoned to Rome to work on the Tomb of Pope Julius II 1505 Spends eight months in the marble quarries of Carrara 1506 Returns to Florence in exasperation after work is suspended on the tomb. Makes up with the Pope in Bologna; commissioned to make a bronze effigy of Julius (destroyed) and the story had only begun…

Julius tells him he must first paint the Sistine Ceiling Michelangelo” “I am not a painter” Sistine Ceiling

Hubert Robert, Discovery of the Laocoon, 1773 The Laocoön-- unearthed in Rome, 1506 Recent article proposing the Laocoon was a forgery by Michelangelo Met mostly with scholarly skepticism, but….

We should be able to see this sculpture in the Vatican Museum & decide for ourselves

For the next thirty years, Michelangelo struggles to finish Julius’s tomb project gets smaller and smaller Michelangelo. Tomb of Pope Julius II, proposed reconstruction of project of 1513.

In its final form, the tomb was much smaller and placed in the Church of St. Peter in Chains rather than St. Peters 34

35 © 2005 Saskia Cultural Documentation, Ltd. It isn’t on the schedule, but we are going to try to squeeze it in… the Moses figure is an extremely powerful masterpiece

Back to the Sistine Chapel… 36

37 The Sistine Chapel: Two very different time periods Michelangelo, ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, fresco, Vatican, Rome, Last Judgment,

1527 Sack of Rome—Rome in Ruins loss of great territories to Protestantism Why is God punishing us? 38

1534 Michelangelo called back to Rome to paint the Last Judgment for Pope Paul III 39 Titian, Pope Paul III, 1543 Paul III Farnese Tried to pick up the pieces Reformer: Council of Trent, Founded the Jesuit Order Index of Prohibited Books

Michelangelo. Damned Soul Descending to Hell

Emphasis on the Passion Michelangelo’s involvement with Beneficio di Cristo, 1543

Complete break with the traditions of the Last Judgment in art 1. Lack of architecture 2.Incorporation of DANTE 3.Christ looks odd 4.Everyone’s naked

Giotto, Last Judgment,

Luca Signorelli, “End of the World Frescoes” Resurrection of the Dead, a cycle of frescoes in the New Chapel in Orvieto Cathedral 1. nude bodies 2. Dante

Signorelli Michelangelo

Signorelli Michelangelo

Domenico di Michelino, Dante and his Poem, 1465 (Duomo, Florence) exiled from Florence in 1301 Divine Comedy Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven

“Charon, the demon, with eyes like embers” --Dante 49

Copernicus—heliocentric model of the universe the church did not immediately condemn (early 17 th century Galileo tried by Inquisition) 50 Copernicus, On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres, 1543 Dedicated to Pope Paul III

An allegory of the new cosomology with Christ as the sun? 51

St. Peter—Pope Paul III Michelangelo showed even the pope as nude

Copy of Michelangelo's Last Judgment, Marcello Vanusti, 1549 showing fewer draperies/loincloths—prior to the big cover up 53

Titian, Pietro Aretino, 1545 poet, pornographer

Self-portrait of Michelangelo in flayed skin Saint Bartolomew (Pietro Aretino) “Now I know well how that fond fantasy which made my soul the worshipper of earthly art is vain.” Michelangelo 55

“This is a real shame – presenting, in such a holy place, images of so many naked persons – brazen- faced, they are demonstrating their genitals; this work suits bathhouses and taverns but not the Pope’s chapel.” -- Biagio da Cesena 56

“If he had placed you into the purgatory, I would have attempted getting you out of there, but he put you into the hell – my power does not extend that far.” --Pope Paul III 57

1993 restoration removed about half of the “fig leaf” campaign The removal of Minos’ fig leaf revealed… snake was having a snack! 58

After Michelangelo’s death the debate over the nudity in the Last Judgment really heated up THE LAST JUDGMENT WAS ALMOST DESTROYED FOR THIS REASON El Greco offered to whitewash the Last Judgment and paint a better, more pious one 59

Daniel Volterra “Little Britches” hired to cover up the nudity (he did it only because he feared it would be otherwise destroyed) now restored back to only Volterra’s drapes Detail of Copy of Michelangelo's Last Judgment, Marcello Vanusti, 1549

2013 conclave to elect the new pope 61