Sculpture

Please note that the text in many of the sites listed below is in Italian. Don't let this discourage you from visiting these sites, however; the pictures speak for themselves.

Madonna of the Stairs (c. 1492) http://www.thais.it/scultura/sch00062.htm

The Madonna of the Stairs was executed by Michelangelo during the time that he was living in the home of Lorenzo de' Medici. The work is a relief in marble.

Battle of the Centaurs (c. 1492) http://www.thais.it/scultura/sch00063.htm

This work, like the Madonna of the Stairs, is a marble relief and was carved during Michelangelo's stay in the Medici household. It differs from the Madonna in its violent aspect and in its unfinished appearance.

Crucifixion (c. 1494) http://www.thais.it/scultura/sch00149.htm

This work is a wooden crucifix and is the only known work by Michelangelo in wood. The figure of Christ is nude (which scandalized his contemporaries); throughout his career Michelangelo created his masterpieces as a celebration of the human body.

Bacchus (1497) http://www.thais.it/scultura/sch00150.htm

Carved for a wealthy Roman, Jacopo Galli, this statue shows a nude Bacchus, his head wreathed with bunches of grapes, with a satyr at his side. It is very much a pagan work; a sharp contrast to his next work, the Pietà.

Pietà (1499) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/citta/0-Pieta.jpg

One of Michelangelo's most famous works, the Pietà is located in St. Peter's basilica in Rome. The face of the Virgin is especially youthful; that of Christ shows no sign of pain.

David (1501-04) http://www.thais.it/scultura/sch00065.htm

This statue, which stands over thirteen feet tall, is also one of Michelangelo's most famous works. It shows a youthful, nude David holding a sling and a stone.

Madonna and Child (1501-04) http://www.brugge.be/toerisme/37.htm

Known as the Bruges Madonna, this statue was carved by Michelangelo at about the same time that he was working on the colossal David. This work shows a seated Madonna with a nude Christ child standing between her knees.

Another marble relief carved by Michelangelo is the Pitti tondo which differs from the previous ones in style; the figures protrude and the work seems more like a statue than a relief.

Also known as the Taddei tondo, this marble relief shows the Virgin on one side with the infant Christ who is frightened by a goldfinch being held by the infant St. John the Baptist.

This work, now in the Louvre, was intended to be a part of the tomb of Pope Julius II, but was never completed.

Also intended to be a part of Pope Julius II's tomb, this is a work that is also in the Louvre in Paris.

This statue is the completed figure that was designed for Pope Julius II's tomb. It shows an imposing, seated Moses and is located in San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome.

Although not completely finished, this work shows the Christ child on his mother's knee, turning towards her. It is located in the Medici Chapel.

Located in the Medici Chapel in San Lorenzo, the tomb of Giuliano has nude figures representing Day and Night.

Located opposite the tomb of Giuliano, Lorenzo's tomb has nude figures representing Dawn and Dusk.

This statue is one of two located on the tomb of Lorenzo de' Medici in the Medici Chapel in San Lorenzo.

Atlas (1530-34) http://www.thais.it/scultura/sch00068.htm

This work is an unfinished statue that was intended most likely to be a part of Julius' tomb. One of four, this work is in the Accademia in Florence.

Another of the four captives intended for Julius' tomb, this work shows the figure emerging from the marble; it provides an idea of Michelangelo's technique.

This work, attributed by some to Michelangelo, is in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Another work that was probably intended for Julius' tomb, this statue is located in Florence; unlike the captives, it is a finished work.

This Pietà differs greatly from the smooth, polished Pietà in St. Peter's in Rome; its appearance is rough and unfinished.

This statue is a work that Michelangelo was probably working on shortly before his death. Originally a larger work, Michelangelo cut away portions of the original statue and began carving again; the result is an unfinished statue of the standing figures of Christ and his mother.

Copyright © Deborah Trofatter, 1996 -2002. November 16, 2002.   http://hometown.aol.com/dtrofatter/michscul.htm

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