Description
The Separation of the Earth and Waters is the third Genesis scene on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, painted by Michelangelo in 1511: God, wrapped in a rose-pink mantle, flies straight towards the viewer with his right hand raised and his left stretched far out, while three small nude children hold on in the folds of the cloak. The original is a fresco in the plaster, high up on the chapel vault. Our painter paints it for you by hand in oils on canvas, in 3 landscape sizes from 60 x 36 to 80 x 48 cm or made to measure, and before dispatch we send you a photograph of your finished painting.
| Title: | The Separation of the Earth and Waters |
| Other titles: | La separazione della terra dalle acque · Die Trennung von Erde und Wasser |
| Painter: | Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) |
| Year painted: | 1511 |
| Original size: | about 155 cm x 270 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Fresco |
| Painting style: | High Renaissance |
| Located at: | Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, Vatican City |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 3 sizes or made to measure |
The Separation of the Earth and Waters – Michelangelo
What does The Separation of the Earth and Waters show?
There is no landscape here, no sea and no shore, only the Creator in the middle of a pale sky. God flies straight at us, so we see him sharply foreshortened, as if he were about to step out of the canvas. His body leans forward, his head is bowed and his long grey beard falls across his chest.
His arms are flung wide. The right hand rises above his head with the palm turned towards us, while the left reaches far to the right, fingers spread against the empty sky.
Around him a rose-pink mantle swells like a sail in the wind and opens into a deep red hollow. Three small nude children hold on in its folds, two on the left and one on the right behind God’s shoulder. The sky is pale and greyish white, with only a strip of blue at the upper left.
What does the scene mean, and which day does it tell of?
Genesis relates that God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh. The title speaks of land being parted from water, while English Wikipedia reads the scene as the Second Day, when God divides the waters from the heavens.
Michelangelo paints no waves and no coastline. One figure carries the whole event: the power that puts the world in order appears as the movement of a body and a cloak, not as scenery.
On the ceiling it belongs to the three scenes of the creation of heaven and earth above the altar. Right beside it, towards the altar, is The Creation of the Sun and Moon, the largest of the three. In the order of the story the two scenes would swap places, and on the vault they are indeed transposed.
Why is The Separation of the Earth and Waters so admired?
It dates from 1511, the last stage of the work. English Wikipedia calls the three Creation scenes the most broadly conceived, the most broadly painted and the most dynamic pictures on the whole ceiling.
Michelangelo worked in reverse order, starting at the entrance with the Drunkenness of Noah. By the time he reached the Creation he knew how large figures had to be to read from the floor, and his style had grown broader.
The whole ceiling is described in the English Wikipedia article on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, which covers every scene together and mentions this one in its section on the Creation.
Where is the original, and how was it made?
The original is on the vault of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, within the Vatican Museums. Pope Julius II commissioned the ceiling, and Michelangelo worked on it from 1508 to 1512. The first half was unveiled in mid-August 1511 and the whole ceiling on 31 October 1512.
The fresco is painted into fresh plaster on the curved vault. The field is about 155 cm high and 270 cm wide and is one of the smaller scenes of the central row; on the ceiling it is framed by four painted nude youths and two medallions made to look like bronze. Our painting gives the scene alone, without that frame.
The restoration of 1980 to 1989 removed candle soot and old varnish, so the colours are brighter again. Critics argued at the time that some details added a secco, on dry plaster, may have been lost with them.
The Separation of the Earth and Waters or another Michelangelo scene?
The Separation of the Earth and Waters is a canvas painting for anyone who prefers one strong gesture to a crowd of figures.
If you want to stay with the beginning of the world, the ceiling’s first scene, The Separation of Light from Darkness, comes in an upright format. For the story of the first humans choose The Fall and Expulsion from Paradise, and for a dramatic scene full of figures The Deluge.
More famous Michelangelo paintings, from the prophets to the sibyls, are on our Michelangelo page.
How does our painting come about from the fresco?
To be plain about it: the original is a fresco painted into the plaster of the ceiling, and ours is an oil painting reproduction made by hand on canvas. Work begins once your order is in, and the colour goes on in successive layers.
First he draws in the diagonal of the body, both arms and the outline of the mantle, because with a foreshortened figure every centimetre matters. Then come the pale sky, the pink and deep red folds of the cloak and, last, the beard, face, hands and three children in warm skin tones.
The fresco has light, slightly dry colours; oil gives them more depth and a soft sheen.
Which size suits which wall?
In short: 60 x 36 cm above a desk or in a hallway, 66 x 41 cm above a chest of drawers or a bed, and 80 x 48 cm above a smaller sofa or as a focal point in a living area.
We paint the scene in 3 landscape sizes (width x height): 60 x 36, 66 x 41 and 80 x 48 cm. All keep the proportions of the field on the ceiling, so God’s hands stay whole and nothing is cropped. The fresco itself is about 155 cm high and 270 cm wide, far larger than anything we paint; our largest size is 80 x 48 cm.
Because the subject is one large figure, it holds its own at a small size and needs no vast wall. As a painting for the living room hang it at eye level, or above a sofa with the lower edge about 20 cm over the backrest.
Is another size or a frame possible?
Yes, made to measure we also paint other widths and heights. Send a custom size request and you get a quote with the price and the date it will be ready.
The painting travels to you rolled, on a stretcher bar or framed. Stretching and, on request, framing are done in our workshop in Slovenia. You choose the frame in our 3D app, which is only for picking a moulding; a view of the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
A thin gold or bronze-toned moulding suits the pink mantle and pale sky.
How long does it take, and how does it travel?
Once you confirm your order the painter gets to work, and The Separation of the Earth and Waters is ready to ship within 15 to 45 working days. Before packing we send you a photograph of the finished painting, and any change you ask for is made.
Parcels within Slovenia and to the rest of the EU travel without customs duties, and our returns policy covers your order.
It makes a thoughtful housewarming present, or a gift for someone who has visited the Vatican. Unsure which size suits their wall? Give a wall art voucher and the recipient picks for themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original?
On the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, part of any visit to the Vatican Museums.
Who is the figure in the pink mantle?
It is God the Creator, separating the waters with outstretched arms; three small nude children are with him.
Is it a print?
No, it is a hand-painted copy in oils, made with a brush by our painter.
What size is the fresco up on the vault?
The field is about 155 cm high and 270 cm wide, bigger than our largest size of 80 x 48 cm.
Could I order a size that is not on the list?
Yes. Send us the width and height and we will reply with a price and a making time.
How long will I wait for the painting?
It takes 15 to 45 working days; the photograph comes before dispatch.
Would it suit a bedroom, or work as a gift?
Yes. The small sizes fit above a bed, and art lovers welcome it as a present.
What do God’s outspread arms mean?
With them God marks out creation: English Wikipedia reads the scene as the day he separates the waters from the sky.
- Subject: God in a rose-pink mantle flies towards the viewer with arms spread wide; three small nude children hold on in its folds.
- Original: fresco, 1511, Sistine Chapel ceiling, Vatican; the field is about 155 cm high and 270 cm wide.
- Ours: our Michelangelo reproduction in oils on canvas, painted by hand in 3 landscape sizes: 60 x 36, 66 x 41 and 80 x 48 cm, or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: the scene comes from the last stage of the ceiling and is among its most dynamic.
