Karol Darmoros
The Chapel remains open
Work began with the installation of scaffolding across the entire surface of the altar wall. Conservators will operate behind a special screen with a high-resolution reproduction of the fresco, which allows for the celebration of liturgy and continued access to the Sistine Chapel for visitors. As emphasized by Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, this is an extraordinary conservation of a masterpiece from Michelangelo’s mature period.
180 square meters and 391 figures
Curator Fabrizio Biferali reminds us that the fresco was commissioned in 1533 by Pope Clement VII and completed in 1541 during the pontificate of Paul III. The work, covering approximately 180 square meters and featuring 391 figures, already at its unveiling – as Giorgio Vasari wrote – “filled all of Rome with astonishment and delight.”
Why today
As explained by Paolo Violini, chief conservator of the Painting and Wooden Materials Conservation Laboratory of the Vatican Museums, the current intervention became necessary due to an extensive whitish deposit, formed as a result of microscopic airborne particles settling. Over time, these deposits weakened the chiaroscuro contrasts and homogenized the fresco’s original coloring.
Fullness of colors and light
The aim of the work is to remove the accumulated deposits and restore the intensity of colors and light intended by the artist, renewing – after three decades – the delight that accompanied the great conservation of the late 20th century.
