In the year of the 550th birthday of the exceptional artist Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, known as “Michelangelo”, the art world is about to experience a sensation: a 16th-century wooden sculpture of Pope Julius II has been attributed to Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) – the greatest sculptor and artist of the Renaissance. Experts are confident: This is the long-lost model that Michelangelo once created for the Pope and which was thought to be destroyed for centuries.
It has long been assumed that Michelangelo’s entire work was fully documented. But now a missing piece of the puzzle has been found: the statue commissioned by Pope Julius II, which Michelangelo made in 1508 for the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna, has been lost and destroyed during a civil uprising.
In 2023, a sculpture appeared at an art fair in France, misidentified as a “Renaissance figure of St. Peter.” Intensive research, however, revealed that it was an original work by Michelangelo himself.
“We believe that this is the lost model that Michelangelo created for the monumental bronze statue of Julius II,” explains Klaus Rössler, representing the owners. “The owners are delighted to be able to present the work to the public again after such a long time. The fact that this is happening in the year of the artist’s 550th birth anniversary – Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese, Tuscany, Italy – is all the more beautiful.”
The statue once stood above the entrance to the Basilica of San Petronio before it was destroyed. Apart from a sketchy drawing, all traces have been missing since then. The wooden figure bears all the hallmarks of Michelangelo’s genius. Julius II sits facing forward, and a large bowl fold stretches between his legs, with the tips of his feet protruding from underneath. One hand is raised in blessing, the other once held the Key of St. Peter.
The head of the statue is framed by a finely crafted, trimmed moustache that contrasts with the slightly curly beard. The figure’s robe is girded with a cincture. The choir robe is held together by a clasp with an angel’s head. The individual expression, especially the slightly open mouth, are features that only a master sculptor like Michelangelo could create with such lifelike realism. “This discovery is a milestone in art history,” says Klaus Rössler. “The owners are thrilled that this lost masterpiece is now back in the public eye.”
