La Cappella Sistina
Cuore e simbolo della Chiesa
Edizioni Musei Vaticani – Libreria Editrice Vaticana
September 2017
The Sistine Chapel. Heart and symbol of the Church (4 vols.)
1. The Pope’s treasury
2. The fifteenth-century frescoes
3. The Michelangelo’s Ceiling
4. The Last Judgment
(T.N.)
A new publication of 4 volumes, available in Italian, dedicated to the iconographic analysis of the Sistine Chapel. The common thread that unites them is a continual and fascinating comparison between the frescoes and Biblical verses.
The first volume, in addition to an art-historical study, describes the architectural features of the Chapel, introduces the iconography and examines the transposition into images of the great themes of the biblical message.
The second volume examines the wall frescoes by fifteenth-century paintings and the parallel narratives of the Old and New Testament, as well as the themes of the single episodes.
The third volume alights on Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes, illustrating the symbolism and providing an interpretation of the scenes, as well as the meaning of the pagan elements alongside Christian ones.
The fourth volume focuses on Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the frescoes above the altar, with a detailed study of the Christological themes, the symbolism, and the figures depicted.
The books are enhanced by a vast range of colour images, with splendid reproductions of the frescoes, evocative details and full page views, as well as a number of comparative and archive photos.