Sweat stains prompt restoration of Michelangelo's 'Last Judgement'

Millions of visitors may have been damaging the Sistine Chapel’s “Last Judgement” over the years without knowing it.

Now, restoration is underway to remove decades of tourist sweat from the 16th-century masterpiece.

Scaffolding is lifting a team of 30 experts into the heavens to clear the white haze that coats Michelangelo’s creation.

The fresco was completed by the Italian Renaissance master in 1541, almost 30 years after the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was completed. The mural depicts the Second Coming of Christ and God’s final judgement, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

It has 391 figures and covers nearly 2,000 square feet, according to the Religion News Service.

Vatican chief painting restorer, Paolo Violini, told the Times, “Look at this whitish coloring,” as he pointed to a stain on a man’s arm near Christ. “That’s the deposit left by years of evaporated sweat from thousands of visitors.”

The cleaning being conducted before Holy Week will give visitors a new look at the 16th-century work of art.

“People are going to be able to see Michelangelo’s magical, marvellous colours again,” Barbara Jatta, the head of the Vatican museums, told the newspaper.

The problem is the lactic acid in visitors’ perspiration, which, when it combines with calcium carbonate in the wall, creates calcium lactate, or a white salt that has built up since its last restoration in 1994. About 24,000 people a day are allowed into the chapel to see the art.

The process is quick, just a couple of pieces of special paper with demineralized water brushed on them. The water soaks through the Washi paper, moistens the salt and it sticks to the paper, removing it from the paint.

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“‘The Last Judgment’ has been affected by the salt more than other walls or the ceiling because this wall is colder than the others, hence more condensation,” museum curator Fabrizio Biferali told the Times.

The fresco cleaning is scheduled for completion by Easter and will be carried out at the same time as the annual fresco dusting.

The chapel will remain open during the cleaning, but the scaffolding will partially block the view of the fresco, the Catholic Review reported.

It is being paid for by the Florida Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, according to the publication.

“Patrons are dedicated to sustaining one of the oldest and most unconventional museums in the world. Unlike other major museums, the Vatican Museums receive no tax revenue to sponsor the restoration of its treasures, and therefore rely significantly on the generosity of our Patrons,” the organization said of its mission.