Michelangelo

Michelangelos birth

Mar 6, 1475

Michelangelo Buonarroti is born on March 6 in Caprese, a village near Florence, during his father’s short time as mayor/local magistrate. His family soon returns to Florence. The baby Michelangelo is in the care of a foster-mother in a town 8kms from Florence. His mother dies when he is six.

Ouits school

1488

He quits school and signs up for an apprenticeship as a painter with Domenico Ghirlandaio.

Studies sculpture

1489

He leaves Ghirlandaio’s workshop and starts to study sculpture in the gardens of Lorenzo de’ Medici. He lives at the ducal palace for three years in the company of the learned Humanists and sculpts his first works (marble reliefs): the madonna of the stairs and the battle of the centaurs

His teacher dies

1492

Lorenzo de’ Medici dies and Michelangelo goes back to live with his father but returns to the Medici palace, invited by Lorenzo’s son Piero.

He flees the city

1494

Florence rebels against the leadership of Piero. Michelangelo flees the city, goes to Bologna. There he sculpts three small statues for the tomb of San Domenico: St.Petronius , St.proculus, and an angel.

Cubid

1496

Back in Florence he sculpts a cubid and sells it to a art dealer named Baldassare del Milanese, who in turn sells it as an antique work to a Roman Cardinal.

Moves to Rome

1497

Michelangelo moves to Rome. To a banker-client he sells his first important work: the Bacchus and another Cupid. He makes his first trip to Carrara for marble.

Pietà

1498

He sculpts the Pietà for the French cardinal Jean de Billheres (also called Jean Villier de la Grolaie 0r Groslaye) but receives no other important commissions for nearly two years.

15 statues

1501

Cardinal Piccolomini orders 15 statues for the Cathedral of Sienna. Michelangelo finishes four of them, begun by another sculptor, and adds one of his own, the ST. PETER, before abandoning the project.

Returns to Florence

1502

He returns to Florence, which has become a republic, and receives an order from the local authorities for a bronze David (finished by another artist and sent to France, now lost) and a colossal marble statue of DAVID . The Cathedral Cabildo gives him an order for marble figures of the Twelve Apostles. Only the ST. MATTHEW is blocked out.

David

1504

His colossal David is set up in front of the Palazzo della Signoria or City Hall.

Fresco

1505

He obtains a commission to paint a fresco (the BATTLE OF CASCINA) for the Council Room of the city of Florence. Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned to do a fresco on another wall of the Council Chamber. Michelangelo only finishes the cartoons—he never starts to paint the wall.

Leaves rome

1506

He leaves Rome in anger on learning that the Pope has given up the tomb project, and takes refuge in Florence under the protection of its governor, Piero Soderini. In November he goes to Bologna to apologize to the Pope, who pardons him and orders a colossal bronze statue of himself.

Michelangelo modeling

1507

Michelangelo spends more than a year modelling and casting the figure, which is finally set up on the facade of San Petronio in 1508. Less than four years later it is melted down to make a cannon.

Signs contract

1516

He signs another contract for the Julius tomb. The Medici, now ruling again in Florence, ask him to design the facade for their family church of San Lorenzo. His design calls for 10 statues.

Three years in Carrara

1520

He spends most of the following three years in Carrara and Pietrasanta, quarrying marble for the facade of San Lorenzo and also for the Julius tomb. He signs a contract with the Medici for the facade of San Lorenzo, which now includes 22 statues. This project is suddenly and inexplicably cancelled by Pope Leo, Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici, in 152o.

Work in Medici chapel

1524

He begins to work in the MEDICI CHAPEL and the BIBLIOTECA LAURENZIANA or Laurentian Library. He goes back to Carrara for more marble. Part-time he still devotes to the Julius tomb project.

Anticipating attack

1527

Florence anticipates an attack by a papal and imperial army and appoints Michelangelo Chief of Fortifications. He has to suspend his work in the Medici Chapel and devote himself to the defense of the city.

Flees Florence

1529

Michelangelo flees Florence and is declared a traitor. He returns just before Florence is taken by the imperial forces (1530) and he goes into hiding. The Pope promises him immunity if he continues to work on the Medici Chapel figures. He finishes two of them (NIGHT and DAWN) by 1531.

Moves to Rome

1532

He moves to Rome. He signs a new contract with Julius’ heirs for a smaller tomb—only six figures. The heirs accuse Michelangelo of shirking his responsibility and of lying about the money he received from Pope Julius for the tomb and he is never able to convince them of his honesty, which nearly drives him to despair.

Last judgment

1533

Pope Clement asks him to paint the LAST JUDGMENT on the wall of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo returns to Florence for a short stay, then leaves it for the rest of his life. He lets assistants finish the Medici Chapel and the Laurentian Library.

Pope dies

1534

Pope Clement dies and the new Pope (Paul III) orders Michelangelo to stop working on the Julius tomb and paint the LAST JUDGMENT frescoes above the altar of the Sistine Chapel. He finishes them on October 31, 1541. His friendship with Vittoria Colonna begins and he dedicates many religious drawings and poems to her.

Julius tomb

1545

The JULIUS TOMB is finally set up in San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome. Most of it is executed by other sculptors according to Michelangelo’s plan. He is unsatisfied with the results. The two female figures, RACHEL and LEAH–also called the Active Life and Contemplative Life–are by Michelangelo but finished and polished by helpers.

Official architect

1547

Pope Paul III appoints him official architect of ST. PETER’S BASILICA. With the help of an assistant he completes a model of the dome in 1561.

Destroy!

1555

In a moment of anger and frustration he mutilates his FLORENTINE PIETÀ.

Death

1564

He comes down with a fever but goes for a walk in the cold night air, saying he just can’t rest. The next day he spends sitting next to the fireplace but finally must crawl into bed. He dies on February 18. The Pope wants to have him buried in St. Peter’s but Michelangelo’s nephew and heir, Leonardo, takes the body back to Florence, where it is buried in Santa Croce. More than a hundred artists attend his funeral.