Michelangelo's hidden message: Cancer symbol in chapel
An international team of experts has found that one of the figures on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, enriched with Michelangelo's frescoes, depicts the symbol of a disease that affects a significant portion of society. According to experts, including many details in the painting suggests that the eminent Italian artist intentionally immortalised the symptoms of a dangerous disease.
For centuries, visitors to the Sistine Chapel, located in the Vatican Palace, have admired Michelangelo's monumental frescoes without realising that among the 300 figures is a woman with visible symptoms of breast cancer. Scientists from various fields, combining knowledge of art history, medicine and genetics, analysed the deformities in the left breast of a woman depicted in the scene of the biblical flood.
Michelangelo hid many details in his frescoes
With a blue scarf on her head symbolising her marital status, this figure points to the ground, which may indicate her impending return to dust. Doctors noted characteristic darkening around the areola, skin indentation, and subtle swelling in the upper part of the breast and armpit area – typical symptoms of advanced breast cancer, reports Science Alert.
Considering Michelangelo's deep knowledge of anatomy, gained, among other things, through dissections, scientists are convinced that these deformities are not accidental. Comparisons with other figures in the fresco confirm the uniqueness of this representation. Despite numerous restorations of the ceiling over the centuries, the original shape and shading of the breast have not undergone significant changes.
Researchers, cited by the Science Alert portal, suggest that the artist did not replicate the deformation from a model suffering from breast cancer but intentionally introduced the symbolism of a deadly disease. "The representation of a probable breast cancer is linked to the concept of the impermanence of life and has the significance of punishment," scientists explain in the journal "The Breast." It may be a hidden message about sin and its consequences.
This is not the only instance where Michelangelo might have immortalised disease symptoms in his work. Similar deformities were previously noticed in the sculpture "Night" from the tomb of Giuliano de' Medici. This discovery underscores the artist's extraordinary ability to understand and represent the human body and the depth of symbolism in his works.
