Deposition of Christ, 'Florence Pietà'

About this work

With this sculpture, Michelangelo set himself the task of carving four figures out of a single block of marble. An unprecedented feat. The dead Christ is supported by Mary Magdalene (left) and the Virgin Mary (right). Behind them is Nicodemus, his facial features resembling the artist’s own. The sculpture was intended for Michelangelo’s own tomb. He worked on it for several years, but eventually destroyed it. It was subsequently restored by the sculptor Tiberio Calcagni and later reproduced again and again in plaster. The cast owned by SMK is exceptionally fine. We can only guess at why Michelangelo did not complete the work. There are indications that he struggled with the marble block as well as with his ambitions. The Virgin Mary is squeezed tightly against Christ, her left hand flattened, for lack of marble, and the left leg of Jesus is missing. A hollow was carved to add the leg as a separate piece of marble – an unbearable compromise for the perfectionist Michelangelo. Despite all this, the sculpture is suffused with a sense of dissolution, suffering and loss. A personal work that encapsulates the story of Michelangelo as an artist tormented by life and…