Michelangelo never wanted to paint the Sistine Chapel, a historian claimed.

The Italian artist – who lived a “long and miserable” life – actually “loathed” painting and wanted to sculpt instead.

But he was forced to paint the ceiling of the chapel in Vatican City, Rome, by “stalker” Pope Julius II who wanted to “punish” him for trying to flee the Italian capital, according to Ada Palmer, an American historian.

Ms Palmer told the BBC’s History Extra podcast that Michelangelo “hated painting and never wanted to paint the stupid Sistine Chapel.”

She added: “That was a punishment because he ran away from the stalker pope. And the stalker pope was like: ‘I’m going to punish this man, I know he just wants to sculpt, so I’m going to make him paint for two years.’

“He [Michelangelo] always hated painting. If he had a bumper sticker, it would be, ‘I’d rather be sculpting,’ right? This man spoke the language of rocks.”