Fotoreproductie van het fresco Daniël door Michelangelo in de Sixtijnse kapel 1851 - 1900

This is a photographic reproduction of Michelangelo’s fresco of the prophet Daniel, part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling painted in Rome between 1508 and 1512. Michelangelo's work was commissioned by Pope Julius II, and it's a high point of the High Renaissance, both artistically and as a statement of papal authority. This photo, made some centuries later, presents some interesting questions. What is the public role of art? The Sistine Chapel was a private space for the Pope, yet its artistic treasures were widely known and appreciated, in part through reproductions like this one. How did the development of photography and the emergence of museums change the way people related to works of art? This photographic reproduction democratizes Michelangelo's work, making it accessible to a wider audience, while at the same time changing its meaning and social function. By exploring archival materials we can trace the history of taste, the development of art institutions, and the changing social status of works of art.