Thought For The Day
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Actually, the Pieta in St. Peter’s is the only work Michelangelo signed, not his ‘Florentine Pieta’ in the photo above.
Michelangelo carved the St. Peter’s Pieta when he was only in his early twenties, and at that time a relatively unknown artist in Rome. Understandably, it caused a sensation. After it had been installed, it is said, he hid himself in the crowd to hear their honest opinions.
When he heard people in the crowd attributing his work to another Roman sculptor, he returned that evening and carved a sash across the Virgin Mary’s chest, and on that sash he carved the words “Michaelangelus Bonarotus Florintinus Faciebat”— that is, ‘Michelangelo Buonarroti of Florence made this’.
Another story about the young Michelangelo and this astonishing work is that after the Pieta had been installed, a Cardinal who fancied himself an art critic complained that the sculptor had made Mary look much too young to have a Son in His thirties. Michelangelo is said to have responded “everyone knows virgins retain their youth far longer than others”.
As for the ‘Florentine Pieta’, it could be said that Michelangelo signed it, in a way. The work shows Christ as He is being lowered from the cross, with Nicodemus standing behind the Body and bearing most of the weight as he places Jesus in Mary’s lap. It is thought that the face of Nicodemus is a self portrait of Michelangelo— so it could be said he ‘signed’ this work also.
Thanks Clinton for sharing this – I knew about the Michageli signing Marys sash but not about that info about Nicodemus in the Florentine Pieta.
I remember studying the St Peter Pieta in year 12 and was in awe of Michelangelo. In complete awe. Talent like that can only be attributed to God. Because you can’t make an error when carving a sculptor from a piece of stone. You have to be meticulous with every carve you make to ensure it gets to the perfect finished sculptor.