Ignudo from Sistine Chapel ceiling
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Noah Butkin
Accession Number
1977-110-1-31
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Visitors to the Smithsonian American Art Museum are invited to admire *Ignudo from Sistine Ceiling*, a captivating figure study by Jean-Robert Ango, a artist active in Rome from1759 to 1770. Created around 1759–70, this work captures one of the iconic nude male figures—known as *ignudi*—from Michelangelo's monumental Sistine Chapel frescoes1508–1512). Ango's rendition reflects the 18th-century fascination with masterpieces, as European artists flocked to Rome during the Grand Tour era to sketch and copy antiquity's glories. These athletic *ignudi* in Michelangelo's ceiling symbolize the nobil...