Since its creation in 1499, Michelangelo's Pietà has
inspired emotion, faith, and imitation through its elegant depiction of
the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. Yet few know the secrets that are
still being uncovered about this centuries-old statue.
1. A French cardinal commissioned it for his own funeral.
French cardinal Jean de Billheres, who served the church in Rome,
wanted to be remembered long after he'd died. To achieve this goal, he hired
Michelangelo to make a memorial for his tomb that would capture a scene
that was popular in Northern European art at the time: the tragic
moment of the Virgin Mary taking Jesus down from the cross.
Actually, that undersells de Billheres’s request. Michelangelo's exact job description for the project
was to create "the most beautiful work of marble in Rome, one that no
living artist could better." While other sculptors might have balked at
such an intense demand, Michelangelo was confident he could complete
such a task. The Pietà is considered by many to be his greatest work, besting even David and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
2. After more than 200 years, the Pietà was moved to St. Peter's Basilica.
The Late Renaissance church houses the religious monument within the
first chapel to the right of its entrance. There, countless Vatican City
tourists have viewed it. You can visit it virtually here.
3. Michelangelo carved it from a single slab of marble.
Specifically, he used Carrara marble, a white and blue stone named
for the Italian region where it is mined. It's been a favorite medium of
sculptors since the days of Ancient Rome.
4. Pietà is the only work Michelangelo every signed.
If you look closely, the sculptor’s signature can be found across Mary's chest. Sixteenth century art historian Giorgi Vasari told the tale of how Michelangelo made his mark:
One day Michelagnolo [sic], entering the place where it was set up, found there a great number of strangers from Lombardy, who were praising it highly, and one of them asked one of the others who had done it, and he answered, 'Our Gobbo from Milan.' Michelagnolo stood silent, but thought it something strange that his labors should be attributed to another; and one night he shut himself in there, and, having brought a little light and his chisels, carved his name upon it.
Michelangelo later regretted the vanity of this act, and resolved never to sign another piece of his work.
5. The piece made Michelangelo famous when he was only 24.
Thanks in part to putting his name in plain sight on the Pietà,
Michelangelo's reputation grew as the public's love of the statue did.
The artist lived to the age of 88, enjoying decades of acclaim and
appreciation for his works.
6. The sculpture has been criticized for Michelangelo's depiction of Mary.
Some church observers sneered that the artist made her look too
youthful to have a son who was 33 years old, as Jesus was believed to be
at his death. Michelangelo defended this choice to his biographer Ascanio Condivi:
Do you not know that chaste women stay fresh much more than those who are not chaste? How much more in the case of the Virgin, who had never experienced the least lascivious desire that might change her body?
7. It’s a mash-up of sculpting styles.
Michelangelo has long been praised for marrying Renaissance ideals of
classical beauty with poses that favored naturalism. Another nod to
Renaissance influence is a structure that ultimately resembles a
pyramid, formed by Mary's head, flowing down her arms and to the bottoms
of her robes.
8. Mary's robes hide a creative compromise.
If you look closely, you can see that Mary's head is a bit too small
for her very large body. When designing Mary's measurements,
Michelangelo could not impose realistic proportions and have
her cradle her adult son as he envisioned. So, he had to make her—the
statue's support—oversized. To play down this poetic license on her
form, Michelangelo carved out sheets of gentle draping garments,
camouflaging Mary's true fullness.
9. The Pietà was brutally attacked.
Michelangelo had a habit of shouting at his sculptures and even occasionally lashing out at them
with his tools. But it was an unemployed geologist from Hungary who won
infamy on Pentecost Sunday of 1972 by leaping over the railings at St.
Peter's Basilica to attack the Pietà with a hammer. With 12 blows, Laszlo Toth knocked off Mary's left arm, snapped off the tip of her nose, and damaged her cheek and left eye.
10. Its destruction was not deemed a criminal offense.
The authorities chose not to criminally prosecute Toth for his
destruction of the priceless work of art. However, a Rome court deemed
him "a socially dangerous person," and committed the man to a mental hospital for two years. After he was released, Toth was deported.
11. Its restoration was a matter of debate.
When a work of art is damaged in this way, its exhibitors are forced
to debate what's best—leaving it as it is (like Cleveland's The Thinker that was mangled in a bombing) or altering the original to restore it. The Vatican heard three arguments on this matter.
The first declared that the Pietà's damage was now a part of
its meaning, speaking to the violence of our modern age. Others
proposed that the sculpture be repaired, but with visible seams as a
reminder of this grave assault. Ultimately, a seamless restoration was
chosen, with the goal of making it impossible for observers to know that
Toth had even touched Michelangelo's masterpiece.
12. THE RESTORATION TOOK 10 MONTHS.
Master craftsmen picked through the 100 bits of marble broken off of the Pietà
and puzzled them back together. In a makeshift lab built around the
statue, these workers spent five months identifying pieces as small as
fingernails. Next, they used an invisible glue and marble powder to
affix the pieces back onto the Pietà and filled any gaps with
replacement pieces. And once the integral restoration was completed, the
final step was securing the restored work behind bulletproof glass.
13. This was not the first time it was behind bulletproof glass.
In 1964, the Vatican loaned the Pietà to the United States, where it was displayed as part of the 1964 New York World's Fair.
To ensure the safety of this statue, organizers erected a barrier of
seven massive sheets of plexiglass that collectively weighed more than
4900 pounds. Then, to make sure crowds would safely pass by the
sculpture, conveyor belt-style mobile walkways were installed.
14. The Pietà's attack had an unexpected silver lining.
During its diligent restoration, workers discovered a secret signature on the piece. Hidden in the folds of Mary's left hand was a subtle "M" believed to stand for Michelangelo.
15. Michelangelo’s Model for The Pietà may have been discovered.
In November 2010, American art historian Roy Doliner
claimed that a restored 12-inch statue from the late 15th century is a
long-misidentified Michelangelo piece that served as the test run for
his Pietà. The small sculpture of Mary and Jesus was previously
attributed to celebrated 15th century sculptor Andrea Bregno. But
Doliner believes this piece was a sort of proof of concept given to
cardinal de Billheres to secure the commission.
Credits: mentalfloss.com
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