We’ve all seen the idealized nude statues and figures in the art displayed in Rome and elsewhere in Italy, dating back hundreds of years to when nudity wasn’t something to be hidden. On a trip to Vatican City, however, you’ll no doubt see some nude statues and some that have a fig leaf placed over their genitals. Those fig leaves aren’t original — they were added later.
In the Book of Genesis, it’s the leaves of the fig tree that Adam and Eve use to cover their nudity, once they feel ashamed by it. So when the Catholic Church’s Council of Trent decided in the mid-1500s that nudity in religious art was no longer acceptable. Of course, much of the religious artwork already on display in the Vatican featured nude figures. Rather than get rid of it, church officials decided to simply cover the genitalia in the same way Adam and Eve had — with fig leaves.
On many free-standing sculptures in the Vatican Museums, you’ll still see the added fig leaves — some cast in plaster, others carved and added separately. In paintings, fig leaves or other forms of drapery were added to many nude figures by later artists. Even Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgement,” which covers the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, was scandalous when he finished it in 1541 for all the nude figures. It wasn’t until after his death, however, that the nudity was covered up by another artist. When the painting was restored in the 20th century, some — but not all — of the drapery was removed.
Art restorers could theoretically just remove all of the fig leaves and drapery from art when it wasn’t part of the original design, but some art historians argue that the fig leaves are now part of the history of the artwork. While you’re touring the Vatican Museums, you’ll see examples of both the original nude figures and some with their fig leaves or drapery still intact.
http://thingstodo.viator.com/vatican-city/secrets-of-the-vatican-fig-leaves-on-statues/