Michelangelo, the Last Judgment fresco, Saint Bartholomew and the Golden Ratio

A hidden rib found in Michelangelo Buonarroti's fresco The Creation of Adam

The fresco The Creation of Adam (1511), painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by the great genius of human anatomy Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), represents one of the most emblematic and best-known scenes in the world. This fresco illustrates a key passage from the Book of Genesis: the moment when God creates the first man, Adam. Since its completion, this work has been intensively studied by many scholars of art, and by several anatomists, who have pointed out signs of anatomical representations contained in the scene. However, there is still some uncertainty regarding this famous scene, especially in relation to its complete iconography. In an attempt to understand Michelangelo's purpose better regarding this emblematic scene, this article presents unpublished evidence that the artist could have concealed within the figure of Adam the anatomical image of a rib which, according to traditional Biblical accounts, is iconographically associated with the origin of Eve, Adam's companion. Curiously, this hidden rib in Adam's body figure could be related to the traditional view of the origin of the first humans expounded in the Jewish Kabbalah. Clin. Anat. 32:648-653, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Michelangelo buonarroti's code in the frescoes of the sistine chapel - an allusion to gematria of the hebrew/greek alphabet and the Golden Ratio

According to Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), the great genius of anatomy, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), in painting the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1508-1512), demonstrated to the world a new dimension/perspective of painting, especially in the sublime manner with which the artist represented the anatomical details of the characters that made up his frescoes. Since then, the Sistine Chapel has received millions of tourists annually, who marvel at the anatomical beauty of the characters depicted on its ceiling. It has also received many scholars of art and even anatomists, who have often tried to infer theses and explanations regarding Michelangelo's real intentions in elaborating this great work. However, even after five centuries, the Vatican's own official explanations of the true intentions of the artist remain quite uncertain. In an attempt to elucidate Michelangelo's possible intentions in the design of this memorable work, this article presents unpublished evidence that all the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were organized by the artist according to a code based on the number of characters in each fresco, the gematria of the Hebrew/Greek alphabet, and the Golden Ratio. This decoding process could reveal a key factor influencing the artist's intentions in ordering the elements in this work. Clin. Anat. 31:948-955, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A self-caricature of michelangelo buonarroti hidden in the portrait of vittoria colonna

The specialized literature has described how the great anatomist par excellence, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), like many other renowned artists of his time, included a self-portrait in many of his works. This article presents novel evidence that Michelangelo inserted his self-portrait into a sketch of his close friend, Vittoria Colonna (1490-1547). This work, made by Michelangelo in 1525, is currently in the collection of the British Museum in London, England. This self-portrait of Michelangelo can serve as a tool for analyzing the artist's probable bodily dimensions and even his state of health during this period of his life. Clin. Anat. 31:335-338, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pagan symbols associated with the female anatomy in the Medici Chapel by Michelangelo Buonarroti

Numerous studies have shown that many works of art from the Renaissance period contain hidden symbols and codes that could have religious, mathematical and/or pagan significance and even anatomical allusions. In this context, the present manuscript offers new evidence that the great genius of anatomy, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), included pagan symbols associated with female anatomy in the funerary monuments found in the Sagrestia Nuova/Medici Chapel (1519-1533) in Florence, Italy. The interpretation of the symbols provided in this study will interest those with a passion for the history of anatomy. Clin. Anat. 30:572-577, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The hidden symbols of the female anatomy in Michelangelo Buonarroti's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel

A number of published articles have suggested that each element of Renaissance art contains an inner meaning. Some of these elements include the choice of theme and protagonists, faces selected for the characters, colors used, species of flowers and trees chosen, animals depicted, positions of the elements, posture of the characters and their gestures, juxtapositions in the scenes, and even the very scenario or landscape. All of these elements are thought to have hidden meanings. In this context, this manuscript presents a new hypothesis suggesting that Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) may have concealed symbols associated with female anatomy in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (painted 1508-1512) in Rome. Thus, this paper is useful to better understand the history of anatomy and corroborates recent descriptions that have suggested the possible existence of anatomic figures concealed in many of Michelangelo's works. Clin. Anat. 29:911-916, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.