He respectfully declined, stating that it was too beautiful to be altered, and instead used it as the inspiration for several of the figures on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, including the Sibyls and Prophets along the borders, and both the risen Christ and St. Bartholomew in The Last Judgement. Early drawings of the Torso were made by Amico Aspertini, c. 1500–1503, by Martin van Heemskerck, c. 1532–1536, by Hendrick Goltzius, c. 1590; the Belvedere Torso entered the visual repertory of connoisseurs and artists unable to go to Rome through the engraving of it by Giovanni Antonio da Brescia, c. 1515.
He declined politely, stating that it was too beautiful to be altered, using it as inspiration for figures on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, including Sibyls and Prophets along the borders, and both the risen Christ and St. Bartholomew in The Last Judgement. Early drawings of the Torso were made by Amico Aspertini, c. 1500–1503, Martin van Heemskerck, c. 1532–1536, Hendrick Goltzius, c. 1590; the Belvedere Torso became known to connoisseurs and artists who couldn't travel to Rome through Giovanni Antonio da Brescia's engraving of it around 1515.