Heritage
“The Last Judgment” reveals Michelangelo's secrets: a comb-like brush and a hidden self-portrait
Vatican Museums restorers, who cleaned the fresco in February and March, describe the master's techniques in a new book. Among the discoveries is a wrinkled face that resembles the artist himself.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
November 1, 2026, 16:00 · Updated 19:04 · 1 min read
In brief
- Thirty restorers worked in two shifts for 30 days and removed a white layer of calcium lactate created by visitors' sweat.
- Michelangelo often used a multi-pointed, comb-like brush to paint several parallel lines at once.
- A self-portrait hidden in the drapery of an allegorical figure of death is linked to the artist's fall from scaffolding in 1541.
The extraordinary maintenance of “The Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel is shedding new light on how Michelangelo worked. According to KultPlus, restorers from the Vatican Museums' Restoration Laboratory, led by Paolo Violini, have summarized their findings in a new book published by Edizioni Musei Vaticani.
A brush like a comb
According to them, Michelangelo often used a multi-pointed, comb-shaped brush, possibly of his own design, with which he painted several parallel lines in a single movement. Crossing lines and changes in the direction of the brushstrokes created shadows and contrasts that give the figures a three-dimensional, almost sculptural look.
The hidden face
In the lower part of the resurrection scene, the restorers point to a self-portrait hidden in the drapery of an allegorical figure of death: a weakened, wrinkled face that resembles the artist's features. The detail is linked to Michelangelo's fall from scaffolding in 1541, when he seriously injured his leg.
The work was carried out in February and March by 30 restorers, in two shifts, over 30 days. They removed a white layer of calcium lactate, deposited by visitors' sweat over about three decades since the 1990s restoration, using distilled-water compresses and Japanese paper to protect the surface. After the cleaning, the contrast between light and shadow returned. The book, “Michelangelo 2026,” is edited by Vatican Museums Director Barbara Jatta and Fabrizio Biferali.
