Description
The Delphic Sibyl is one of the twelve great seated figures that Michelangelo painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican around 1509: a young prophetess with wide-open eyes turns her head sharply over her shoulder, an unrolled scroll in her hand. The original is a fresco painted into wet plaster about 20 metres above the floor, and its field measures roughly 380 cm wide and 350 cm high. Our painter paints it for you by hand in oils on canvas, in 8 portrait sizes from 40 x 70 to 110 x 200 cm or made to measure, and before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting.
| Title: | The Delphic Sibyl |
| Other titles: | La Sibilla Delfica · Die Delphische Sibylle |
| Painter: | Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) |
| Year painted: | c. 1509 |
| Original size: | about 350 cm x 380 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Fresco |
| Painting style: | High Renaissance |
| Located at: | Sistine Chapel, Vatican City |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
The Delphic Sibyl – Michelangelo
What does The Delphic Sibyl show?
A young woman sits on a stone throne inside a painted niche. Her body faces us, yet her head has just swung to one side, as though someone had called her by name. Her eyes are wide, her lips slightly parted, her face smooth and evenly drawn.
A blue-green head cloth with a white band across the forehead covers her hair, and red-gold curls stream out from under it. A blue mantle lies over her shoulder; beneath it is a green dress held at the shoulder by a round clasp. An orange-red cloak falls in heavy folds across her knees and legs, and one bare foot shows below it.
One hand holds the end of a scroll that unrolls beside her knee; the other rests in her lap. Behind her are two smaller figures: a naked child, seen from behind, holds an open book, and next to him a second face with tousled hair reads in the shadow.
Who was the Delphic Sibyl?
Sibyls were prophetesses of the ancient world who, by tradition, spoke for the gods. The Delphic Sibyl belonged to the oracle of Apollo at Delphi.
Twelve such seers sit on the Sistine ceiling: seven prophets of Israel and five sibyls from classical myth. Christian tradition valued them because they were believed to have foretold the coming of the Messiah, which is why Michelangelo set them beside the scenes from Genesis that run down the centre of the vault.
Michelangelo does not paint a mysterious old woman but a girl whom inspiration seems to have caught in the middle of her reading. What she sees is left open, and that unanswered question gives the painting its tension.
Why is this sibyl so famous?
The prophets and sibyls are the largest figures on the whole ceiling, and Michelangelo was above all a sculptor, the maker of the David and the Pietà. Her body has the weight of a marble statue.
The colours look surprisingly fresh. The ceiling was restored between 1980 and 1989, so the blue, green and orange now sit closer to the colours Michelangelo first laid down.
The full plan of the ceiling, is set out in the English Wikipedia article on the Sistine Chapel ceiling; it covers the ceiling as a whole rather than this one figure, and it is written in English.
Where is the original, and how was it made?
The Delphic Sibyl is on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, about 20 metres above the visitors’ heads. Like each of the twelve figures, she is named on a painted marble tablet held by a putto; hers reads DELPHICA.
Michelangelo painted the ceiling between 1508 and 1512 for Pope Julius II. He laid the colour into fresh, still-damp plaster, one patch at a time, so that it bonded with the wall.
The field with the sibyl is about 350 cm high and 380 cm wide, and it dates from around 1509.
The Delphic Sibyl or another Michelangelo?
The Delphic Sibyl is a canvas painting for anyone who loves a single strong face and clear, lively colour. It suits a study or a library.
If the great seated figures of the ceiling appeal to you, her closest relatives are in the same group of twelve: The Prophet Isaiah, The Prophet Daniel and The Prophet Ezekiel.
If you prefer a crowd and a dramatic scene, look at The Deluge from the central part of the ceiling. The famous Michelangelo paintings we paint are gathered on our Michelangelo page.
How does our painter paint The Delphic Sibyl?
The original is a fresco painted straight into the plaster of the curved vault. Ours is a different object: a hand-painted oil painting reproduction on canvas, which the painter starts only after you order.
First he draws the figure, the niche and the two small figures behind her onto the primed canvas so the proportions are right. Then he builds the colour layer by layer: the broad areas of mantle, dress and cloak first, then the shadows in the folds, and last the light edges where the cloth breaks.
The face takes the most care. The sideways glance and the half-open mouth have to hold that moment of surprise, or the figure stiffens. Oil has a deeper sheen than matt fresco, so in the evening under warm light the colours glow, and by day they look fresh.
Which size for which wall?
In short: 40 x 70 or 45 x 80 cm for a narrow alcove, beside a door or above a bedside table; 50 x 90 or 60 x 105 cm for a study or hallway; 70 x 120 or 90 x 153 cm above a sofa or chest of drawers; 100 x 175 or 110 x 200 cm for a tall wall or a stairwell.
We paint The Delphic Sibyl in 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 40 x 70, 45 x 80, 50 x 90, 60 x 105, 70 x 120, 90 x 153, 100 x 175 and 110 x 200 cm. The fresco on the ceiling is far larger: its field measures about 380 cm wide and 350 cm high, while our largest size is 110 x 200 cm.
The upright format follows the seated figure in her niche, so the painting looks best on a wall that is taller than it is wide. As a painting for the living room it is most convincing at 70 x 120 or 90 x 153 cm. Hang it so the face sits a little above eye level, much as you look up at the sibyl in the chapel.
Can I have another size or a frame?
Yes. If your wall needs different proportions, we adjust the composition so that the head, the arm with the scroll and the bare foot stay whole. In other proportions too, this hand-painted copy keeps the turn of the head that is the heart of the scene. Tell us the width and height you have in mind and we will send you a price and a date.
The sibyl leaves us rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or already framed. Our own workshop in Slovenia stretches and frames every canvas we send out. You choose the moulding in our 3D app, which is for picking a frame only; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
How long do painting and delivery take?
The painter starts as soon as you confirm the order, and The Delphic Sibyl is ready to travel in 15 to 45 working days. Before we pack it, we send you a photograph of the finished painting; if you want something changed, we do it before dispatch. No customs duty applies inside Slovenia or anywhere else in the EU, and our returns policy protects each order.
This Michelangelo reproduction of a sibyl with her scroll makes a fine gift for a teacher, a librarian, a student of classics or anyone who has stood beneath the Sistine ceiling. If you are unsure of the size, give a gift voucher and let them choose.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original fresco?
On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, about 20 metres above the floor.
What is the sibyl holding?
An unrolled scroll that hangs beside her knee; behind her a child holds an open book.
Is this a print?
No. Our painter works it by hand with brush and oil paint, stroke by stroke, on canvas.
How big is the fresco on the ceiling?
Its field is about 350 cm high and 380 cm wide, larger than any of our sizes.
What does the word DELPHICA mean?
It is the Latin name of the figure, written on the painted tablet a putto holds.
Is it suitable for a bedroom?
Yes, the calm blues and greens sit well in a bedroom, a study or a library.
Could you paint the sibyl in an unlisted size?
Of course. Send us the width and height, and we reply with a price and a delivery time.
How long will I wait for my painting?
Between 15 and 45 working days, and you see a photograph of the finished painting before dispatch.
- Subject: a young prophetess in a blue-green head cloth, blue mantle and orange-red cloak holds a scroll and turns her head aside.
- Original: fresco, around 1509, field about 350 x 380 cm (height x width), Sistine Chapel ceiling, Vatican.
- Our painting: hand-painted oil on canvas in 8 portrait sizes from 40 x 70 to 110 x 200 cm or made to measure.
- Good to know: she is one of five sibyls on the ceiling, alongside seven prophets of Israel.
