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A team of academics analysing the artwork have claimed Michelangelo hid pagan notions of female sexuality through various symbols. The team has deduced that the reoccurring image of a ram, featured eight times across the fresco, represent the female reproductive system; the ram’s skull and horns closely match the anatomy of a uterus. 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A team of academics analysing the artwork have claimed Michelangelo hid pagan notions of female sexuality through various symbols. The team has deduced that the reoccurring image of a ram, featured eight times across the fresco, represent the female reproductive system; the ram’s skull and horns closely match the anatomy of a uterus. 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A team of academics analysing the artwork have claimed Michelangelo hid pagan notions of female sexuality through various symbols. The team has deduced that the reoccurring image of a ram, featured eight times across the fresco, represent the female reproductive system; the ram’s skull and horns closely match the anatomy of a uterus. 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Read our <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112/http://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html">Privacy</a> and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112/http://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html">Cookie</a> Policies to find out more.</p> </div> <div class="tabs"></div> <div class="region region-content"> <article class="full-article" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/NewsArticle"> <meta itemprop="mainEntityOfPage" content="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/michelangelo-hid-female-anatomy-symbols-in-sistine-chapel-ceiling-painting-researchers-claim-a7222581.html"> <div itemprop="publisher" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Organization"> <meta itemprop="name" content="The Independent"> <link itemprop="sameAs" href="http://www.independent.co.uk"> <link itemprop="logo" href="https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/brand-logo.png"> </div> <header> <ol vocab="http://schema.org/" typeof="BreadcrumbList" class="breadcrumbs clearfix"><li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem"><a property="item" typeof="WebPage" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment"><span property="name">Culture</span></a></li><li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem"><a property="item" typeof="WebPage" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art"><span property="name">Art</span></a></li><li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem"><a property="item" typeof="WebPage" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news"><span property="name">News</span></a></li></ol> <h1 itemprop="headline" class=" ">Michelangelo hid female anatomy symbols in Sistine Chapel ceiling painting, researchers claim</h1> <div class="intro"> <p>'We can infer that the real meaning of these skulls may be related to the figure of the uterus'</p> </div> <ul class="caption meta inline-pipes-list"> <li class="author" itemprop="author" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> <span itemprop="name"><a href="/web/20161108041112/http://www.independent.co.uk/author/jack-shepherd" title="Jack Shepherd" itemprop="sameAs">Jack Shepherd</a></span> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112/https://twitter.com/JackJShepherd">@JackJShepherd</a> </li> <li title="2 September 2016 15:34 London"><time data-microtimes="{"published":"1472826840000","display":0,"changed":"1472826840000"}" datetime="15:34, 2 September 2016">Friday 2 September 2016 15:34 BST</time></li> <li class="comments"> <a href="#commentsDiv" id="comment-count" class="icon-comment"></a> </li> </ul> <div id="gigya-share-btns-1"></div> </header> <div class="push-notifications-cta"></div> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia image" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="featured-media medium-width"> <meta itemprop="representativeOfPage" content="true"> <meta itemprop="url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112/https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/29/13/5482649.jpg"> <meta itemprop="width" content="2048"> <meta itemprop="height" content="1536"> <picture title="5482649.jpg">  <source srcset="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112im_/https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/article_medium/public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/29/13/5482649.jpg 1x" media="(min-width: 620px) and (max-width: 929px)"/> <source srcset="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112im_/https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/article_large/public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/29/13/5482649.jpg 1x" media="(min-width: 930px) and (max-width: 1239px)"/> <source srcset="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112im_/https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_large/public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/29/13/5482649.jpg 1x" media="(min-width: 1240px)"/>  <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112im_/https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/article_small/public/thumbnails/image/2015/10/29/13/5482649.jpg" alt="5482649.jpg" title="5482649.jpg"/> </picture> <figcaption itemprop="description" class="caption"> The art of existence: ‘Creation of Adam’ by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel <span class="copyright">EPA</span> </figcaption> </figure> <div class="article-wrapper clearfix"> <div class="main-content-column"> <div class="text-wrapper" itemprop="articleBody"> <p>Over 500 years later and secrets hidden within the Sistine Chapel are only just being discovered today. A team of academics analysing the artwork have claimed <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112/http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/MichelangeloCaravaggio" target="_blank">Michelangelo</a> hid pagan notions of female sexuality through various symbols. </p> <p>The team has deduced that the reoccurring image of a ram, featured eight times across the fresco, represent the female reproductive system; the ram’s skull and horns closely match the anatomy of a uterus. </p> <p>“We can infer that the real meaning of these skulls may be directly related to the figure of the female internal anatomy (the uterus and uterine tubes),” the researchers from various Brazilian universities claim in their <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1002/ca.22764/abstract" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">newly-published paper in the journal of Clinical Anatomy</a>, picked up by <em>The Telegraph</em>.</p> <p>“We believe that the position in which the tip of the triangles (male symbol) is lined with the skulls (the womb) may in fact represent direct sexual contact between male and female symbols.”</p> <div class="dnd-widget-wrapper context-sdl_editor_representation type-image"><div class="dnd-atom-rendered"><div class="image"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112im_/https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_medium/public/thumbnails/image/2016/09/02/16/sistine-bulls.jpg" width="564" height="366" alt="sistine-bulls.jpg" title="sistine-bulls.jpg"/></div></div><div class="dnd-caption-wrapper">Roof of the Sistine Chapel, ram heads marked (Rex Features)</div></div> <p>The report details how Michelangelo was likely trying to subvert the common practices of the Roman Catholic Church; at the time, they were still debating whether women had souls. They also detail how the artist concealed the imagery as the female form was too often neglected in religious artwork.</p> <p>As well as the rams, the researchers noted how in the segment titled <em>The Creation of Eve</em>, the First Woman holds her arms out in a V-shape. </p> <div class="dnd-widget-wrapper context-sdl_editor_representation type-image"><div class="dnd-atom-rendered"><div class="image"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112im_/https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_medium/public/thumbnails/image/2016/09/02/16/creation-of-eve-sistine.jpg" width="564" height="366" alt="creation-of-eve-sistine.jpg" title="creation-of-eve-sistine.jpg"/></div></div><div class="dnd-caption-wrapper">'The Creation of Eve' with V-shape marked out (Rex Features)</div></div> <p>“According to classical descriptions, a triangle pointing upwards is the pagan symbol for the male (a rudimentary phallus), while when pointing down it is the pagan symbol for the female,” the report states. </p> <p>“In the exact centre of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling, Michelangelo may have placed a notorious pagan female symbol.”</p> <p>The paper, titled <em>The hidden symbols of female anatomy in Michelangelo Buonarroti's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel</em> postulates how “Michelangelo concealed the symbols associated with female anatomy because he knew that the Pope would never favour such representations.”</p> <div class="dnd-widget-wrapper context-sdl_editor_representation type-gallery"><div class="dnd-atom-rendered"><div class="image"><script> <![CDATA[// ><!]]> </script><div class="container grid-mod-gallery" data-scald-gallery="4123761">  <h2 class="gallery-title"><span class="media-prefix icon-gallery"></span>Accidental Renaissance paintings </h2> <div class="images">  <ul><li class="lazy " data-original="https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_large/public/thumbnails/image/2016/01/02/15/Accidental-Renaissance.jpg"> <a data-gallery-thumb="1" 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url('/web/20161108041112im_/http://www.independent.co.uk/sites/all/themes/ines_themes/ines_theme/img/blank.gif');" class=""></li> <li data-gallery-item="5" data-original="https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_large/public/thumbnails/image/2016/01/02/16/Accidental-Renaissance-3.jpg" style="background-image: url('/web/20161108041112im_/http://www.independent.co.uk/sites/all/themes/ines_themes/ines_theme/img/blank.gif');" class=""></li> </ul><span class="icon-arrow-left"></span> <span class="icon-arrow-right"></span> <a href="#" class="pager prev" title="Previous photo"></a> <a href="#" class="pager next" title="Next photo"></a> </div> <ul class="legends"><li data-gallery-legend="1"> <h2> <span class="counter">1/5</span>  Frank Lampard celebrating goal </h2>  <p>This picture of Frank Lampard celebrating as he scores a goal during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final in 2008 has been compared on Twitter to a Renaissance painting. </p>  <p class="credits">Mike Hewitt/Getty Images</p> </li> <li data-gallery-legend="2"> <h2> <span class="counter">2/5</span>  Ukrainian parliament brawl </h2>  <p>The Fibonacci spiral – used by Renaissance artists to make their work aesthetically pleasing - has been found to fit many of the pictures taken of a brawl in Ukraine’s parliament during a debate prior to a vote in the country’s budget for 2014. </p>  <p class="credits">STR/AFP/Getty Images</p> </li> <li data-gallery-legend="3"> <h2> <span class="counter">3/5</span>  Oscar Pistorius awaits court proceedings </h2>  <p>The lighting on Oscar Pistorius as he awaits his trail at the Pretoria Magistrates court in 2013 gave a painterly feel to the proceedings. </p>  <p class="credits"> REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko</p> </li> <li data-gallery-legend="4"> <h2> <span class="counter">4/5</span>  Balotelli Anderson clash </h2>  <p>This image of a clash between Mario Balotelli and Anderson after the FA Cup Semi-Final match in 2011 has been compared on Twitter to Caravaggio's Taking of the Christ. </p>  <p class="credits">Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images</p> </li> <li data-gallery-legend="5"> <h2> <span class="counter">5/5</span>  Donald Trump taunts Jeb Bush at presidency debate </h2>  <p>The Fibonacci spiral has been layered on top of this picture of Donald Trump and Jeb Bush at a Republican presidential debate in 2015. </p>  <p class="credits">Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images</p> </li> </ul><div class="ad-mpu mpu5-container"> </div> </div> </div> </div></div></div> <p>There are also various other examples of hidden symbols in his artwork: “Like other Renaissance artists of his time, Michelangelo often introduced anatomic figures, sexual innuendoes and rude insults to patrons without them being aware.”</p> <p>In 2009, a revaluation with regards Michelangelo’s last artwork, <em>The Crucifixion of Saint Peter</em>, was made, analysts concluding that <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161108041112/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/michelangelo-by-michelangelo-self-portrait-discovered-hidden-in-his-final-painting-1727988.html">a hidden self-portrait</a> was in the painting. </p> <meta itemprop="datePublished" content="2016-09-02T16:34:00+01:00"/> <ul class="inline-pipes-list"> <li> More about: </li> <li><a itemprop="keywords" href="/web/20161108041112/http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/MichelangeloCaravaggio">Michelangelo Caravaggio</a></li> <li><a itemprop="keywords" href="/web/20161108041112/http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/sistine-chapel">Sistine Chapel</a></li> </ul> <div id="gigya-share-btns-2"></div> <a href="/web/20161108041112/http://www.independent.co.uk/syndication/reuse-permision-form?url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/michelangelo-hid-female-anatomy-symbols-in-sistine-chapel-ceiling-painting-researchers-claim-a7222581.html" target="_blank" class="syndication-btn"><img 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