Description
The Erythraean Sibyl is one of the five sibyls Michelangelo painted around 1509 on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican: the seer sits in profile with her legs crossed, leafing through a large book on a lectern, while above her a small putto lights a lamp with a burning torch. The fresco field measures about 380 cm across and 360 cm high, well beyond any size we paint. Our painter paints her by hand and to order, in oils on canvas, in 8 portrait sizes from 40 x 49 to 172 x 200 cm or made to measure, and before dispatch you receive a photograph of the finished painting.
| Title: | The Erythraean Sibyl |
| Other titles: | La Sibilla Eritrea · Die Erythräische Sibylle |
| Painter: | Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) |
| Year painted: | c. 1509 |
| Original size: | about 360 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 Erythraean Sibyl – Michelangelo
What does The Erythraean Sibyl show?
A young woman sits on a stone seat, turned in profile towards the right side of the painting. Her legs are crossed, so both bare feet show beneath the folds of her dress. With an outstretched arm she turns a page of a thick book that lies open on a lectern draped in bluish cloth.
Her hair is pinned up high and wound with a striped band. She wears a pale, almost white sleeveless dress, under which a rose-red bodice with blue edges shows. A broad green mantle with warm, yellowish lights lies across her knees, and a scrap of lilac cloth shows near her feet.
Above the book on the right, a naked child, a putto, lights a lamp with a burning torch just above the sibyl’s head; a second child hides in the shadow behind him. On both sides of the niche are painted pilasters on which pairs of naked putti embrace, in grey tones as if carved from marble.
Who were the sibyls, and what does the fresco mean?
The sibyls were prophetic women of the classical world who lived at shrines and temples. They were seen as mouthpieces of the gods, passing divine messages on to Greeks and Romans.
Along the edges of the ceiling sit twelve large figures said to have foretold the coming of a Messiah: seven prophets of Israel and five sibyls. Renaissance readers believed the sibyls had sensed the coming of Christ, which is why pagan seers sit in the pope’s own chapel.
Nobody knows why Michelangelo chose these particular five out of ten known sibyls. The scholar O’Malley suggests that the four besides the Cumaean were picked for wide geographical coverage, since they come from Africa, Asia, Greece and Ionia.
Why is The Erythraean Sibyl so admired?
Giorgio Vasari, the 16th-century painter and biographer of artists, called her extraordinarily beautiful: for her expression, her arranged hair and the style of her clothes, and for bare arms he found as lovely as the rest of her body.
Vasari reserved special praise for one more figure on the same ceiling, which we offer as The Prophet Isaiah.
How the whole cycle fits together, with all its prophets, sibyls and scenes from Genesis, is explained in the English Wikipedia article on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, which covers the entire ceiling rather than this sibyl alone.
Where is the original, and how was the fresco made?
The fresco is still in place on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, high above the heads of visitors.
Pope Julius II commissioned the decoration, the contract was signed on 8 May 1508, and Michelangelo worked on the ceiling until 1512. Seeing himself above all as a sculptor, he resisted at first and proposed his younger rival Raphael instead.
Every colour went into fresh, still damp plaster, binding with it for good as it dried. According to Vasari, he painted standing up with his head tilted back, not lying on his back as people often imagine. The field with the sibyl measures about 360 cm high and 380 cm wide.
The Erythraean Sibyl or another Michelangelo?
The Erythraean Sibyl is a canvas painting for people who love to read and for rooms where calm matters: a study, a home library, a reading corner or the wall above a desk.
If you prefer a younger, livelier seer, look at The Delphic Sibyl, where a girl with wide-open eyes holds an unrolled scroll. A very different mood fills The Persian Sibyl: an old woman in a white headcloth sits hunched, holding a small book right up to her eyes.
The most movement comes in The Libyan Sibyl, where the seer twists round and lifts a huge open book from behind her back. You will find all the famous Michelangelo paintings we offer, prophets and sibyls alike, on our Michelangelo page.
How is our painting made from the fresco?
Plainly put: the original is a fresco in the plaster of a vaulted ceiling, and your Erythraean Sibyl is an oil painting reproduction, painted by hand on canvas. The composition comes from the fresco; what you hang on your wall is real oil paint on stretchable canvas.
The painter starts only once you order. First he sketches the sibyl, the lectern with the book, the child with the lamp and the edges of the niche in a fine line, so the proportions match the source. Then he lays the colour on in layers, from the dark shadows towards the bright passages.
The finished surface is tangible: in raking light you can see the brushstrokes and the thicker paint on the brightest areas.
Which size is right for your wall?
In short: 40 x 49 or 46 x 55 cm for a shelf, a bedside table or a narrow wall beside a window, 64 x 76 or 70 x 87 cm for a bedroom, hallway or study, 90 x 107 or 120 x 140 cm above a sofa, chest of drawers or bed, and 132 x 160 or 172 x 200 cm for a large wall, a stairwell or a high-ceilinged room.
We paint The Erythraean Sibyl in 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 40 x 49, 46 x 55, 64 x 76, 70 x 87, 90 x 107, 120 x 140, 132 x 160 and 172 x 200 cm. The fresco on the ceiling is about 380 cm wide and 360 cm high; even our largest size, 172 x 200 cm, is considerably narrower and lower.
As a painting for the living room she works best at 90 x 107 or 120 x 140 cm above the sofa, where the green mantle and the open book read clearly from the doorway. Hang her so that the sibyl’s face sits a little above eye level.
Is another size or a frame possible?
Yes. If your wall calls for different proportions, we adapt the composition so that the figure, the book on the lectern and the child with the torch stay whole. This Michelangelo reproduction keeps the sibyl’s profile and the light above the book in any format. Tell us the dimensions you need, and we will send you a price and a lead time.
We can send the sibyl rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or ready framed, all prepared in our own workshop in Slovenia. In our 3D app you choose only the frame; a view of the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
When will the painting arrive, and how is it sent?
We start as soon as you confirm your order, and the finished painting is ready to ship within 15 to 45 working days. Before we pack it, we send you a photograph of it; if you would like a change, we make it before dispatch. There are no customs charges within Slovenia or to any other EU country, and our returns policy applies to every order.
The Erythraean Sibyl makes a fine gift for a teacher, a librarian or a keen reader. If you are unsure about the size, give a wall art voucher and let the recipient choose the painting and its size.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original?
In the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, high up on the ceiling.
What is the child above the book doing?
A naked putto is lighting a lamp with a burning torch, just above the sibyl’s head.
Is this a print?
No. Every Erythraean Sibyl we send is a hand-painted copy, made with brush and oils on canvas.
How big is the fresco in the chapel?
About 380 cm wide and 360 cm high; our largest size is 172 x 200 cm.
What does the book she reads mean?
The fresco does not say; Michelangelo shows only her absorbed reading and leaves the meaning open.
Does it suit a bedroom or a study?
Yes, because it is quiet and calm; it looks just as good in a library or living room.
Can you paint it to my measurements?
Gladly. Send us the width and height, and we will reply with a price and a lead time.
How long will I wait for it?
Between 15 and 45 working days, and you see a photograph of your sibyl before she leaves us.
- Subject: the sibyl sits in profile with crossed legs, leafing through a large book on a lectern; above her a putto lights a lamp.
- Original: c. 1509, fresco, about 360 x 380 cm (height x width), Sistine Chapel ceiling, Vatican City.
- Ours: hand-painted in oils on canvas once you order, in 8 upright sizes (40 x 49 to 172 x 200 cm) or to your measurements.
- Worth knowing: Vasari singled out her facial expression, her hair, her clothes and her bare arms for praise.
