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Historical Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King $15.00 / Walker and Co. / 2003 As he did with Florence in Brunelleschi's Dome, in this book, Ross King transports readers to a renaissance city with a cast of characters more fascinating than those found in many fictional novels. This time, the city is Rome at the beginning of 16th century, and the characters include Michelangelo Buonarroti, Pope Julius II, and the young artist Raphael. In Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, we learn of Michelangelo's reservations about painting the famed Sistine Chapel, of his learning process as he proceeded across the vaulted ceiling, and of the political and familial troubles that plagued his actions and decisions. Michelangelo's world is placed into context as we also discover the motivations and machinations of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo's benefactor and nemesis. King weaves his tale with the energy of a fiction writer. It is full of political intrigue and power struggles, emotional doubts and self-realizations, financial concerns and foreign influences, competition and interpersonal relationships. To that, he adds revealing explanations of the techniques required to complete the 12,000-square-foot ceiling. For instance, we learn how Michelangelo secured the best paint pigments, constructed his own scaffolding, and applied his designs to newly plastered surfaces. We see the influence of Michelangelo on Raphael, and vice versa. We are also transported to Rome in 1508, a city complete with all the drama of a Shakespearean play. Pictures and diagrams enhance the text and an extensive bibliography, as well as an index and comprehensive footnotes, make further study possible. It is easy to marvel at the Sistine Chapel for its sheer magnificence, but after reading this account of the struggles behind the art, readers will have a deeper and more meaningful appreciation of this famed ceiling. —Barbara Mellin

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