Virtual Museum

Virtual Museum by CecilyM

Period: 1475 to 1564

The Pieta

1500

Commisioned to be placed at a French Cardinal's tomb, it was moved to its current location in the 18th Century. It is the only piece Michelangelo signed. Overhearing someone commenting that another sculptor has created it, He signed his name on the sash across Mary's chest. In 1964, The Pieta was lent to the new York World's fair. People waited in line for hours to ride a conveyor belt to get a glimpse of the statue.

Entombment by Michelangelo

1501

This painting is unfinished probably because he wasn't paid for the piece. the people in the piece are thought to be St. John the Evangelist, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathaea, Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome, and the Virgin is prepared in outline at the bottom.
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/michelangelo-the-entombment-or-christ-being-carried-to-his-tomb

Tondo Doni

1503

Michelangelo's first and possibly only easel painting was done in tondo style, a circular painting, of the Holy Family in its original frame. The painting was commissioned by Angelo Doni to commemorate his marriage to Maddalena Strozzi, the daughter of a powerful Tuscan family. Michelangelo probably designed the frame as well.https://100swallows.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/michelangelos-only-easel-painting/

Madonna,Church of Our Lady, Bruges

1504

Michelangelo's depiction of the Madonna and Child differs significantly from earlier representations of the same subject, which tended to feature a pious Virgin smiling down on an infant held in her arms. Instead, Jesus stands upright and appears to be about to step away from his mother. It is also the only sculpture to leave Italy during his lifetime. It was bought by wealthy merchants in Burges for 4,000 florins. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_of_Bruges

The David

1504

17 feet tall, from the base to the top, the David is one of the largest statues sculpted by Michelangelo. The David itself is nine feet tall. Commissioned for the Florence Cathedral, it was placed in a public square, outside the Palazzo Vecchio. The statue was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, in 1873, and later replaced at the original location by a replica.http://www.italianrenaissance.org/michelangelos-david/

The Sistine Chapel ceiling

1512

Michelangelo painted this between 1508 and 1512 by standing on the scaffold and looking up at the painting, not on his back as has been portrayed. Michelangelo read and reread the Old Testament while he was painting the ceiling, drawing his inspiration from the words of the scripture, rather than from the established traditions of sacral art. The process used was fresco with the plaster laid new every day. https://www.michelangelo-gallery.com/fun-facts.aspx

Moses

1515

Commissioned in 1505 by Pope Julius II for his tomb, it depicts the biblical figure Moses with horns on his head, based on a description in chapter 34 of Exodus in the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible used at that time. Michelangelo himself thought this statue of Moses was among his best works. https://www.michelangelo-gallery.com/michelangelo-moses.aspx

Plan for the Bascilica of San Lorenzo

1515

San Lorenzo Church is regarded as a jewel of Renaissance architecture, although it has never had its façade finished. In 1515, after winning the competition held by Pope Leo X (one of the Medici popes, son of Lorenzo the Magnificent), Michelangelo started working on plans to design the façade. However, the work remained unbuilt when Michelangelo was commissioned by the Pontiff to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling in Rome. https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/basilica-of-san-lorenzo/

Laurentian Library

1525

At first glance, a freestanding marble staircase seems too large for the vestibule. Architects at the time adhered closely to classical rules of proportion, so these dominant, curved steps, which appear to pour down from the reading room door, are the first hint that Michelangelo was intentionally playing with tradition. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/michelangelo-florence-laurentian-library-slideshow/all

Atlas

1525

The Atlas Slave is a 2.77m high marble statue by Michelangelo, dated to 1525–30. It is one of the 'Prisoners', the series of unfinished sculptures for the tomb of Pope Julius II. http://www.michelangelo.net/atlas-slave/

City Fortifications, Florence

1529

In 1529 during the siege, Michelangelo worked as an engineer designing fortifications to protect his beloved city of Florence. He left at the beginning of September because he felt that Malatesta Baglioni would betray the city. He returned mid-November and served until the end of the siege. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Florence_(1529%E2%80%9330)

Apollo

1530

After the defeat of the Republic of Florence, Pope Clement VII imposed as governor Baccio Valori, who had this commissioned. Michelangelo worked on it until the Medici's returned. Then he, himself, fled Florence to avoid the Medici and never returned to finish the piece. http://www.michelangelo.net/apollo/

Medici Chapel

1534

The funereal monuments were commissioned in 1520 by Pope Clement VII (formerly Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici), executed largely by Michelangelo from 1520 to 1534, and completed by Michelangelo’s pupils after his departure. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Medici-Chapel

Brutus

1538

This is Michelangelo's last work which has a principally political message. This is his interpretation of a slippery politician who planned the death of Julius Ceasar. For him, there was a similarity between Brutus and the Medici. http://www.michelangelo.net/brutus/

The Last Judgement

1541

The Last Judgement is the name of the fresco located on the wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. It depicts the Second Coming of Christ as well as the final and eternal Judgement by God on all humanity according to the Christian religion. Altogether there are over 300 figures, with nearly all the males and angels originally shown as nudes. https://www.florenceinferno.com/the-last-judgement-michelangelo/

Pope Julius II Tomb

1545

Summoned to Rome in 1505, Michelangelo began working on Pope Julius II tomb. The Pope died eight years later, but it took Michelangelo 40 years to complete the tomb. It was intended for St. Peters Basilica but ended up at San Pietro in Vincoli. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Pope_Julius_II

Conversion of Saul

1545

This is the first of two large frescoes Michelangelo made in Paul's Chapel (Cappella Paolina) in the Vatican. The other one shows The Crucifixion of Peter. The chapel was built as a private chapel for pope Paul III. The frescoes were painted opposite each other on the long walls of the chapel. https://www.artbible.info/art/large/510.html

St. Peter Bascilica

1546

Built from 1506-1626, it is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. It is the second cathedral to sit on this site. Although St. John Lateran is the official seat of the Pope, most ceremonies are held here due to it's closeness to the home of the Pope.
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/sanpietro.htm

Celestial Love

1547

Michelangelo took great pride in his artwork he had a much more humble view of his poetry calling it, “something foolish”. Michelangelo wrote over 300 poems. Many of his most impressive sonnets were written to his close friend Vittoria Colonna. Along with his poems of admiration and devotion are poems of a spiritual and mystical nature. http://www.poetry-archive.com/b/buonarroti_michelangelo.html

Vittoria Colonna

1550

Drawing of the poet Vittoria Colonna. She had a platonic relationship with Michelangelo that lasted several years. When she died he was by her side. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vittoria-Colonna

To The Supreme Being

1557

During his final years, he became more spiritual in his work. Most of his sonnets were written to Vittoria Colonna who was a friend and a poet. They met in Rome in 1538 and they exchanged many letters and sonnets. He was there when she died and he wrote a memorial sonnet for her. http://www.poetry-archive.com/b/buonarroti_michelangelo.html

Music of the Era by Adrian Willaert

1559

Flemish composer Adrian Willaert -- who served as maestro di capella at the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice from 1527 until his death in 1562 -- contributed much to the Italian Renaissance; while he wasn't the first to develop the Venetian polychoral style, its propagation in the mid-sixteenth century may well be laid at his feet. https://www.allmusic.com/album/adrian-willaert-musica-nova-the-petrarca-madrigals-mw0001874624

St. Peter's Basilica

1564

Michelangelo designed the basilica but did not live to see it finished. This is the plan he designed after rejecting the designs of previous architects. In 1546 Paul III commisioned him as chief architect. At the time of his death, the drum for the massive dome was practically complete. Others completed the dome at the insistence of Sixtus V.https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saint-Peters-Basilica

Michelangelo's Tomb

1570

Michelangelo’s Tomb is a work of Vasari (1570) and it’s found at the beginning of the right aisle of the church of Santa Croce, just inside the main door of the Basilica.
Above the tomb are three sculptures representing the personifications of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, saddened by the death of the great master, but the whole of the tomb is a mixture of painting, sculpture and architecture.
https://www.borghiditoscana.net/en/tomb-of-michelangelo-florence/