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What artistic work did Julius II commission from Michelangelo for the Sistine Chapel?

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Medallion depicting Pope Julius II — Julius II Julius II, contemporary medallion; in the coin collection of the Vatican Library.

Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1508.123

Although Michelangelo initially resisted the project because he considered himself a sculptor rather than a painter, he worked on the ceiling frescoes from 1508 to 1512. The resulting masterpiece features scenes from the Old Testament, including various panels depicting the book of Genesis, as well as figures of prophets, sibyls, and ignudi (naked male youths). These paintings are considered a pinnacle of Western art and a product of the intellectual collaboration between the pope and the artist.123

It is important to note that while Michelangelo also painted The Last Judgment on the chapel's west wall, that specific work was commissioned later by Pope Clement VII and executed under Pope Paul III.2