Sibyls in the Sistine Chapel

Sibyls on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michaelangelo (photographed today at the Sistine Chapel Exhibition). 

​The first Sibyls—the "Black Doves"—came from a long lineage of African prophetesses. A decolonial perspective on art history would talk about the bodies in Renaissance art. Decolonizing herstory would mean bringing the story back of women whose prophecies were appropriated by the Church. ​

The Libyan Sibyl

The Cumaean Sibyl (from Naples)

The Delphic Sibyl

The Persian Sibyl

The Erythraean Sibyl (from Turkey)