The Creation of Adam, the most famous piece by Michelangelo Buonarroti, known as Michelangelo, located in the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican City in Rome, Italy, is one of the most important works of art in the world because, in addition to its great beauty, it holds a great story behind its creation.
Originally, the artist’s canvas was painted blue sky with golden stars, so in 1508, he received the mission from Julius II to repaint the ceiling of the chapel. Michelangelo’s famous piece took four years to create since it began on May 10, 1508, and ended on October 31, 1512.
One of the curiosities that are told about the painter is that, at that time, he considered himself a sculptor, so the commission seemed too much for him, and at first, he rejected it. However, he finally accepted and did it. It took him a while, but he created one of the most iconic artworks in history.
Another fun fact about the creation of this piece of art is that occupying approximately 460 meters and being almost unreachable, Michelangelo designed his own scaffolding, which consisted of a platform of wooden planks attached to supports created from holes in the walls, at the height of the windows and not the ceiling so as not to damage it.
And just as this work of art holds many curiosities, one of the questions that remain latent is how much money the painter and sculptor earned for his creation.
How much money was Michelangelo paid to paint the Sistine Chapel?
According to Pier Luigi Vercesi of the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, the painter received three thousand ducats.
‘If we consider that three thousand ducats were paid, making an estimate based on the purchasing power of that time with the current one, we can conclude that the work cost about two million euros (2.9 million dollars),’ he said.
The ducat is an ancient gold coin from Europe. It was introduced in Venice in 1284, during the mandate of Doge Giovanni Dandolo.
Story originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva.
