Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Pope Julius II in 1508. This commission involved repainting the chapel’s vault, replacing the earlier starry sky fresco, and was completed between 1508 and 1512
. Pope Julius II, known as a "warrior pope," sought to use art to symbolize and reinforce his temporal power, and the Sistine Chapel ceiling was a key part of this vision
. Despite Michelangelo's initial reluctance—he considered himself primarily a sculptor and even fled Rome to avoid the task—he was compelled by the pope’s agents to undertake the project
