"Created between 1526 and 1527, the clay model was a life-sized study for what would have been a marble river god at the foot of the tomb of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, in the Church of San Lorenzo. Michelangelo was inspired by the river deity sculptures of antiquity to recreate a reclining male torso with bent legs. He crafted it of unfired clay mixed with casein, plant and animal fibers on a core of iron wire."
"One of Michelangelo's most fragile sculptures returns to public display after decades in storage and three years of meticulous restoration. The River God goes on display on October 19th as the centerpiece of a newly-built gallery at the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence, the oldest art academy in Europe which has owned the piece since the 16th century."
"It was donated to the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno by the sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati in 1583. Since 1965, the work has been housed in the Casa Buonarroti. Three years ago, a complex process of restoration began, overseen by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and funded by the non-profit Friends of Florence. The history of the River God is marked by centuries of attention and conservation interventions."
Michelangelo's life-sized clay River God, created in 1526–27 as a study for a marble river god for Lorenzo de' Medici's tomb in San Lorenzo, is an unfinished reference lacking head, arms and lower legs. The model is made of unfired clay mixed with casein, plant and animal fibers on an iron wire core. Donated to the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno by Bartolomeo Ammannati in 1583, it later entered Casa Buonarroti and storage. Centuries of conservation included metal insertions and wooden supports. A three-year restoration by Opificio delle Pietre Dure, funded by Friends of Florence, readied it for public display on October 19 in a new Accademia gallery.
Read at www.thehistoryblog.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]