Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) is considered one of the most important artists of the Renaissance and left an impressive legacy as a sculptor, painter, architect and poet. Even today, people queue for hours to admire his works. His brilliance is unmatched.

But is his oeuvre fully documented?

Anyone who assumed this was wrong. One final piece of the puzzle was missing — and it has NOW been discovered. This is an original sculpture representing the lost figure of Julius II, destroyed centuries ago, created by the extraordinary Michelangelo himself for the Pope in the 16th century.

A sensational discovery

The recent discovery of the Italian wooden sculpture is a sensation. It could have been made by a Tuscan woodcarver and contemporary of Michelangelo, who copied the bronze statue. Nevertheless, according to numerous experts, the sculpture shows the creative criteria of the exceptional artist Michelangelo. Everything indicates that this is a rediscovered masterpiece by Michelangelo Buonarroti. Michelangelo’s Lost Masterpiece.

Michelangelo's lost masterpiece - portal basilica San Petronio
Michelangelo's lost masterpiece - portal basilica San Petronio

11-foot-high bronze statue

Pope Julius II, an important patron of the arts of his time, commissioned Michelangelo in 1508 to create an 11-foot-high bronze statue, his portrait, which was placed on the tympanum of the Italian Basilica of San Petronio in honor of the Pope. For several years, the stately work stood on the tympanum above the main portal of the basilica, but was torn down and destroyed a few years later as part of a popular uprising by outraged citizens.