There are 20 ignudi on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
The ignudi are athletic nude male figures arranged in pairs around the five smaller Genesis scenes along the centre of the vault. Each smaller scene is associated with four figures, producing a total of five groups of four, or 20 ignudi. They sit, twist, stretch, and recline around painted medallions and decorative ribbons.
Michelangelo used these figures as opportunities to display anatomy, movement, and complex poses rather than as straightforward narrative characters. Their exact meaning remains debated. Some scholars connect them with angels, classical figures, or symbolic attendants, while others emphasize their decorative and formal role within the ceiling's architectural design.
The ignudi are easy to confuse with the many other nude or semi-nude figures in the chapel. The count of 20 refers specifically to the young male figures framing the five smaller central panels, not every nude figure in Michelangelo's ceiling or the later Last Judgment on the altar wall. Their placement also helps organize the nine scenes from Genesis into a visually coherent sequence.