This was more than a single individual could accomplish in a lifetime. He envisioned a two-story tower adorned with more than 20 life-sized statues.

Michelangelo’s Moses sculpture Livioandronico2013, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons When Michelangelo began work on the Pope’s Tomb, he had big plans. This may sound strange to us now, but great kings throughout time have designed magnificent monuments for themselves when they were still living in the expectation that they would be honored forever. Michelangelo’s first contract from Pope Julius II was a mausoleum for the pope. When Pope Julius II heard about David, he invited Michelangelo to travel to Rome and sculpt for him. When Michelangelo completed sculpting David, it was evident that he had produced the most exquisite figure ever – perhaps even surpassing the splendor of the Ancient Greco-Roman artworks. He also grumbled a lot and could be cocksure, brusque, and rude at times, culminating in a strike to the nose once. He didn’t enjoy debating art, wasting time, or displaying his creation before he was ready.ĭespite a few mid-career partnerships, Michelangelo remained cautious and protective, never holding a normal workshop, closing his workshop, and destroying sketches. Michelangelo not only has the most direct of any historic artist, but he is also among the most written-about painters of all time.

Notwithstanding three biographies produced about Michelangelo during his lifetime, it is via his letters that we learn more about the occasionally generous and frequently humorous perfectionist. 1545) by Daniele da Volterra, located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City Attributed to Daniele da Volterra, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Over one hundred portraits of him were done as commemorations throughout the 16th century alone, significantly more than any other creator of the period. His followers revered him, artists mimicked him, humanists lauded him, and nine popes patronized him. His paintings were highly sought after and hailed as strong. The translation error is conceivable because the word “Keren” in Hebrew may mean either “emitted light” or “formed horns.” But before we learn any more facts about the Moses statue, let us take a quick look at the artist behind it.Ĭontemporaries dubbed Michelangelo Buonarotti “The Divine One” because they thought his creations were unearthly. Moses is really depicted as having “beams of skin on his face,” which Jerome rendered as “horns” in the Latin version.

This is said to be due to St Jerome’s incorrect interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Latin. Inspired by a reference in chapter 34 of Exodus, the Moses statue shows the historical person with horns on his head.

Julius statue