The Sistine Chapel

“Excellent” Philippa Joseph, History Today “This new book by Forcellino on the Sistine Chapel reveals once again the author's remarkable combination of gifts - the novelist who tells a gripping story, the historian who places the story in its social and political context, and the art critic and restorer who discusses style and the technical problems of fresco and also of painting a ceiling that will be viewed from 20 metres below and from a variety of angles as the spectators move around. Essential reading for anyone interested in one of the greatest achievements of the Renaissance.” Peter Burke, University of Cambridge “Antonio Forcellino gives the full history of the Sistine Chapel in a narrative that is rich in incident and full of insights. It’s an engaging and accessible account of one of the world’s most famous buildings—and a must-read for anyone visiting Rome.” Ross King, author of Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling “As a conservator, Antonio Forcellino takes us into the workshops and onto the scaffold while vividly describing the materials and techniques of the artists decorating the Sistine Chapel, from its construction to Michelangelo’s sublime Last Judgment.” William E. Wallace, Barbara Murphy Bryant Distinguished Professor of Art History, Washington University in St. Louis “Forcellino sees the Sistine Chapel as more than just a tale of successive popes and two generations of artists laboring to create a powerful symbol of Christian spirituality and papal authority — and that is what sets his laboriously researched book apart from other histories of the subject. He presents the chapel as a revolution in the history of Western art.” The Catholic World Report “Antonio Forcellino has some claim to be Italy’s leading authority on Michelangelo Buonarroti. As both an art historian and an art restorer, with his invaluable insights and careful use of newly discovered documents, he scrupulously corrects the Florentine’s self-inflated claims.” Church Times