Michelangelo Made His First Masterpiece When He Was 12 Years Old

"Before he was a titan of Renaissance art history, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) was a 12-year-old, although his childhood looked quite a bit different from what we associate with that age today. Already deeply invested in drawing and painting, he studied others' work, such as an engraving titled "Saint Anthony Tormented by Demons," created by 15th-century German artist Martin Schongauer. Unlike most tweens, though, when he set out to recreate the scene in tempera paint on a wood panel, he worked with a particular style that strongly hinted at the young boy's preternatural talent."

"This is the very first known painting by Michelangelo, titled "The Torment of Saint Anthony," which was completed around 1487-88 at the age of 12 or 13. It wasn't attributed to him until after the painting sold at auction in 2008 and a conservationist at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York removed yellowed varnish and some unskillful overpaint to reveal a unique color palette and attention to depth."

"Art historians such as Everett Fahy, a longtime curator at The Met, asserted that the painting had been made by Michelangelo, even though when the work went to auction, it was attributed more generally to the large Florentine workshop of Domenico Ghirlandaio, with which Michelangelo joined as an apprentice in 1488. Fahy's convictions were bolstered by the unique composition that emerged after its restoration at the hands of conservator Michael Gallagher, backed by art historian and restorer Giorgio Bonsanti's expert opinion that it was indeed made by Michelangelo. With no one else able (at least yet) to provide credible enough evidence that it was not, the work was acquired by the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, making it the only painting by the Renaissance master in a public collection in North America."

Michelangelo painted The Torment of Saint Anthony around 1487–88 at about 12 or 13 years old, working from a Martin Schongauer engraving and using tempera on wood. The work was later covered by yellowed varnish and overpaint that obscured its original colors and depth. Conservation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art removed the discolored varnish and revealed a distinctive palette and compositional depth. Art historians and restorers, including Everett Fahy, Michael Gallagher, and Giorgio Bonsanti, supported attribution to the young Michelangelo. The painting was acquired by the Kimbell Art Museum and is the only Michelangelo painting in a North American public collection.

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