The most up-to-date publication faithfully documenting the Sistine Chapel in lifelike glory, through cutting-edge micro-photography.

With the official support of the Vatican Museums, this unique volume presents the lush original colors and remarkable details of Michelangelo’s masterpiece in a series of unprecedented close-up photographs. Explored here is a full history of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s Last Judgement, widely considered his magnum opus, as well as sublime contributions by Renaissance master painters such as Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino, Rosselli, and Signorelli.

Believed to be “the greatest representation of human art and spirituality” in the world, the Sistine Chapel is one of the most visited artworks globally with nearly 22,000 daily visitors, yet it is also part of one of humanity’s most sacred spaces, a consecrated chapel at the Vatican, the heart of the Roman Catholic Church. This book is an essential tool in helping the viewer understand the beauty and meaning of this most sublime work of art and architecture.