This Probably Makes the Mona Lisa Smile Too

January 25, 2016

Sometimes the collective breath of 6 million visitors can be a problem with or without halitosis. Actually it’s the exhales of carbon dioxide from happy visitors interacting with the Michelangelo artworks in the Sistine Chapel that caused the worry moreso than odorous Italian lunches. In 2014, the concern for chapel administrators was the swelling traffic at the chapel assumed to be responsible for the increased dirt, dust and breath that floats upward to the arched ceiling of the chapel and settles on the precious frescoes. The CO2 was thought to be suffocating the frescoes and contributing to deterioration until air curtains and directed air vents were designed to circulate the dust and CO2 away from the frescoes. While biographers suggest Michelangelo and DaVinci disliked each other, we’re sure both would concur that calling upon the defensive support of an air curtain to save beautiful artwork is something to agree on.