Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling
by Ross King
List Price:
Our Price: $62.69
You Save: $9.31 (13%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.84 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Ross KingNarrator: John Lee
Edition: Audio Cassette
Format: Unabridged
Published: 2003-09
ISBN: 0736690867
Publisher: Books on Tape
Book Reviews of Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling
Book Review: Great background material
Summary: 5 Stars
We saw the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and I wanted to know more about the person and the era that it was created. This book helped fill in the gaps of my knowledge.
Summary of Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling
Almost 500 years after Michelangelo Buonarroti frescoed the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, the site still attracts throngs of visitors and is considered one of the artistic masterpieces of the world. Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling unveils the story behind the art's making, a story rife with all the drama of a modern-day soap opera.The temperament of the day was dictated by the politics of the papal court, a corrupt and powerful office steeped in controversy; Pope Julius II even had a nickname, "Il Papa Terrible," to prove it. Along with his violent outbursts and warmongering, Pope Julius II took upon himself to restore the Sistine Chapel and pretty much intimidated Michelangelo into painting the ceiling even though the artist considered himself primarily a sculptor and was particularly unfamiliar with the temperamental art of fresco. Along with technical difficulties, personality conflicts, and money troubles, Michelangelo was plagued by health problems and competition in the form of the dashing and talented young painter Raphael.
Author Ross King offers an in-depth analysis of the complex historical background that led to the magnificence that is the Sistine Chapel ceiling along with detailed discussion of some of the ceiling's panels. King provides fabulous tidbits of information and weaves together a fascinating historical tale. --J.P. Cohen
In 1508, despite strong advice to the contrary, the powerful Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the newly restored Sistine Chapel. With little experience as a painter (though famed for his sculpture David), Michelangelo was reluctant to begin the massive project.
Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling recounts the four extraordinary years Michelangelo spent laboring over the vast ceiling while the power politics and personal rivalries that abounded in Rome swirled around him. Battling against ill health, financial difficulties, domestic problems, the pope's impatience, and a bitter rivalry with the brilliant young painter Raphael, Michelangelo created scenes so beautiful that they are considered one of the greatest masterpieces of all time. A panorama of illustrious figures converged around the creation of this great work-from the great Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus to the young Martin Luther-and Ross King skillfully weaves them through his compelling historical narrative, offering uncommon insight into the intersection of art and history.
Art History Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Art History Books
Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students (Design Briefs)by Ellen Lupton
Princeton Architectural Press; Published: 2004-09-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.98
Price in other shops:
Universe of Stone: A Biography of Chartres Cathedralby Philip Ball
Harper; Published: 2008-07-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.98
Price in other shops:
New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook: Guided Practice in the Five Basic Skills of Drawingby Betty Edwards
Tarcher; Published: 2002-10-28; Spiral-bound; Book
Best price: $7.99
Price in other shops:
A Time it Was: Bobby Kennedy in the Sixtiesby Bill Eppridge
Abrams; Published: 2008-06-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.61
Price in other shops:
Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks and Techniques for Working with the World's Most Versatile Mediumby Nancy Reyner
North Light Books; Published: 2007-03-30; Spiral-bound; Book
Best price: $16.45
Price in other shops:
Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braidby Douglas R. Hofstadter
Basic Books; Published: 1999-02-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.20
Price in other shops:
The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Centuryby Edward Dolnick
Harper; Published: 2008-07-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.50
Price in other shops:
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhoodby Marjane Satrapi
Pantheon; Published: 2004-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.36
Price in other shops:
The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brainby Betty Edwards
Tarcher; Published: 1999-08-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.73
Price in other shops:
The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters (Voices That Matter)by Joe McNally
New Riders Press; Published: 2008-02-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $29.48
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Florence and Tuscany (Eyewitness Travel Guides)by DK Publishing
DK Travel; Published: 2006-03-20; Turtleback; Book
Best price: $11.48
Price in other shops:
Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power (Eminent Lives)by Ross King
Eminent Lives; Published: 2007-06-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops:
The Lives of the Artists (Oxford World's Classics)by Giorgio Vasari
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1998-07-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops:
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Loveby Dava Sobel
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2000-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.78
Price in other shops:
Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter'sby R. A. Scotti
Plume; Published: 2007-05-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.51
Price in other shops:
The Stones of Florenceby Mary McCarthy
Harvest Books; Published: 2002-11-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.14
Price in other shops:
The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangeloby Irving Stone
NAL Trade; Published: 2004-09-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.42
Price in other shops:
The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fallby Christopher Hibbert
Harper Perennial; Published: 1999-06-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade That Gave the World Impressionismby Ross King
Walker & Company; Published: 2006-01-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.26
Price in other shops:
Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architectureby Ross King
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2001-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.87
Price in other shops: