These limited edition photo books have captured every inch of the Sistine Chapel

These books are filled with life-size photos of the Sistine Chapel.

(Image credit: Courtesy image)

published 28 July 2017

Put away your old magazines and make room for the world's ultimate coffee table book. La Cappella Sistina ($13,800) is the product of five years' work during which the Italian art publisher Scripta Maneant partnered with the Vatican Museums to digitize every inch of the Sistine Chapel — from Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes to the mosaic floor. The three-volume set weighs about 60 pounds and contains 270,000 photos that reproduce the chapel's artwork on a 1:1 scale. Though the collection was created mostly for art historians and restorers, 1,999 copies will be sold to individual buyers, each of whom will be granted a private tour of the chapel.