Vatican removes salty white film coating Michelangelo’s ‘The Last Judgment’
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” The facial is being given as restorers remove the chalky white salt layer that has accumulated since the Renaissance masterpiece’s last major renovation three decades ago.
The Vatican on Saturday gave the media a brief update on the cleaning operation taking place on the floor-to-ceiling scaffolding that conceals the imposing fresco of heaven and hell that dominates the chapel’s façade.
The cleanup is expected to be completed by Easter in the first week of April. In the meantime, the public can continue to visit but will have to make do with a copy of “The Last Judgment” placed on a screen lining the pier.
Vatican Museum officials said on Saturday that they carried out a simple but important cleaning operation to remove the white salt layer that accumulated on the fresco as approximately 25,000 people pass through the Vatican Museums every day.
“This salt is formed, first of all, because we emit lactic acid when we sweat, and unfortunately the lactic acid reacts with the calcium carbonate present in the wall,” said Fabio Moresi, who is in charge of the scientific research team that oversees the cleaning of the Vatican Museums.
Climate change also plays a role, he said, as visitors tend to sweat more, creating more moisture that reacts with the frescoes.
Barbara Jatta, chief of the Vatican Museums, described the film as a “cataract” that is easy to remove: Restorers soak sheets of Japanese rice paper in distilled water, apply them to the fresco, and carefully wipe away the salt film.
When looked closely at the pier on Saturday, the difference between before and after is striking: Uncleaned parts of the frescoes look as if they were covered in chalky dust; Cleaned sections show the vibrant colors and details of the original. For example, on the figure of Jesus in the center of the fresco, a privileged visitor can see how Michelangelo dyed his hair and the wounds of his crucifixion.
Sistine Chapel It is named after Pope Francis IV, a patron of the arts who oversaw the construction of the main papal chapel in the 15th century. Named after Sixtus.
But it was a later pontiff, Pope Julius II, who commissioned Michelangelo, between 1508 and 1512, to paint the famous ceiling “The Creation of Adam,” showing the outstretched hand of God. A later pope, Pope Gregory VII. Clement commissioned Michelangelo to paint “The Last Judgment” in 1533.
Other frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, where Pope Leo XIV was elected in May, are cleaned annually by restorers who work at night on cherry pickers, which can be removed each morning before the public arrives.
However, such machines cannot access the entire “Last Judgment” because the fresco is located behind the altar, which is itself elevated by marble steps. This logistical obstacle required the installation of a fixed scaffolding to provide access to clean the entire fresco.
The Sistine Chapel underwent a complete restoration between 1979 and 1999, during which centuries of smoke, dirt and wax accumulation were removed. The Vatican left small fragments of the previously restored fresco intact to demonstrate the difference; these can now be seen on the upper levels of the pier, showing an almost blackened wall.
Rather than radically reducing the number of visitors who can access the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican is looking at ways to remove humidity levels through filtration systems and other technologies so that the salty film does not form again.
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