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Arguably the best-known frescoes in the world are those decorating the interior of the 13th-century Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, especially those on the ceiling and 'The Last Judgment,' both by Michelangelo.
Raphael, one of the great artists of the High Renaissance, is regarded as the most skilled of fresco painters. His 'The School of Athens' was completed in 1511 and is found in the Stanze di Raffaello, in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City.
'The Last Supper' by Leonardo da Vinci decorates the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Completed in the late 1490s, this is one of the most celebrated frescoes in the world.
Enter the Cathedral of Parma in Italy, gaze up at the dome, and be astounded by 'The Assumption of the Virgin,' a huge fresco by Italian Late Renaissance artist Antonio da Correggio, which was finished in 1530.
Michelangelo's fresco 'The Crucifixion of St. Peter' was completed around 1550 and is housed in the Cappella Paolina, Vatican Palace, in Vatican City. It is the last fresco executed by the great Italian Renaissance master.
Paolo Uccello's 'Funerary Monument to Sir John Hawkwood' was painted in 1436 and commemorates English mercenary captain John Hawkwood. The fresco is found in Florence Cathedral.
One of Raphael's best-known works, 'Disputation of the Holy Sacrament,' painted between 1509 and 1510, is found in the the Stanze di Raffaello, in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
Giotto completed the cycle around 1305. Pictured is 'Nativity. Birth of Jesus.'
This fresco is called 'Adoration of the Magi.'
The chapel is also known as the Arena Chapel and includes the graphic 'The Massacre of the Innocents,' inspired by the incident in the New Testament when Herod ordered the execution of all two-year-old male children and below in the area of Bethlehem.
You can admire the astonishing 'Apotheosis of St Ignatius' in the huge Jesuit church of Sant' Ignazio (St. Ignatius of Loyola), in Rome. It was created by the 17th-century Italian Jesuit brother Andrea Pozzo.
The outstanding stucco decoration and ceiling paintings decorating the Theological Hall of Strahov Monastery, located near Prague, were completed in the 1720s.
The grandeur that is the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles near Paris is further enhanced by a ceiling decorated with beautiful frescoes, the work of 17th-century French artist Charles Le Brun.
The mesmerizing late 19th-century frescoes found inside The Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg were painted by some of Russia's most illustrious artists of the day, including Alfred Aleksandrovich Parland, Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov, and Mikhail Vrubel.
The Ducal Palace in Mantua, Italy is home to the 'Camera degli Sposi,' a room known as the "bridal chamber," which is frescoed with 15th-century illusionistic paintings by Andrea Mantegna.
This particular depiction of the Virgin Mary shown as pregnant ('Madonna del Parto') is by Piero della Francesca. The 1460 fresco is displayed in the Civic Museum Madonna del Parto, Monterchi, Tuscany.
Housed in the Palazzo Farnese, now the French Embassy, in Rome, 'The Loves of the Gods' was completed in 1608 by Bolognese artist Annibale Carracci.
Pietro da Cortona's huge 1639 ceiling fresco, 'Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power,' dazzles visitors to the grand salon of the Palazzo Barberini in Rome.
The burial chamber known as the Tomb of the Leopards set near Tarquinia in Italy's Lazio region is famous for its fresco of a banquet scene believed to have been painted around 480–450 BCE.
The palace perched on top of the ancient rock fortress of Sigirya near the town of Dambulla is decorated with colorful frescoes dated back to the 5th century CE.
The interior of Boyana Church in the Bulgarian capital Sofia is decorated wall to ceiling with 89 frescoes created in 1259 and representing one of the most complete and well-preserved monuments of medieval art in the Balkans.
This fresco called 'La commedia illumina Firenze' ("Comedy Illuminating Florence") was painted by Domenico di Michelino and dates back to 1465. It's found in Florence Cathedral and shows Dante Alighieri presenting his famous poem, the 'Divine Comedy,' to the city of Florence.
This extraordinarily lifelike fresco of Pompeii baker Terentius Neo and his wife is displayed at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. The artwork was unearthed at Pompeii.
Melk Abbey, located in the Austrian town of Melk, is celebrated for its 18th-century frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr.
Italian painter Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino, completed 'The Crossing of the Red Sea' in 1542. It can be admired in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy.
Keldby Church on the Danish island of Møn is famed for its decorative 15th-century frescoes illustrating the most popular stories from the Old and New Testaments.
Located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra in India, the Ajnata Caves hide a series of ancient frescoes depicting Jakata tales and stories from the life of Buddha. They're believed have been created between 200 BCE and 650 CE.
Sources: (History Lists) (Britannica) (The History of Art)
Frescoes are mural paintings set on ceilings and walls. While this artistic technique has been around since antiquity, it's most closely associated with Italian Renaissance painting and celebrated artists of the period such as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. Fortunately, many of the greatest examples of frescoed art works have survived, allowing modern-day audiences to admire this often highly decorative and vividly colorful art form.
Click through and find out the famous frescoes you need to see.
The diminutive Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy houses a fresco cycle by the 13th-century Italian painter Giotto di Bondone which is considered one of the great masterpieces of Western art. Included in the cycle is 'Flight into Egypt' (pictured, detail).
Michelangelo's 'The Creation of Adam' (pictured, detail) forms part of the world famous Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco, painted c. 1508–1512. It is one of the most replicated religious paintings of all time.
Famous frescoes you need to see
These are among the finest frescoes found anywhere
LIFESTYLE Art
Frescoes are mural paintings set on ceilings and walls. While this artistic technique has been around since antiquity, it's most closely associated with Italian Renaissance painting and celebrated artists of the period such as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. Fortunately, many of the greatest examples of frescoed art works have survived, allowing modern-day audiences to admire this often highly decorative and vividly colorful art form.
Click through and find out the famous frescoes you need to see.