The Life of Michelangelo Buonarroti   By: John Addington Symonds (1840-1893)

By JOHN ADDINGTON SYMONDS

TO THE CAVALIERE GUIDO BIAGI, DOCTOR IN LETTERS, PREFECT OF THE MEDICEO LAURENTIAN LIBRARY, ETC., ETC.

I DEDICATE THIS WORK ON MICHELANGELO IN RESPECT FOR HIS SCHOLARSHIP AND LEARNING ADMIRATION OF HIS TUSCAN STYLE AND GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HIS GENEROUS ASSISTANCE

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. BIRTH, BOYHOOD, YOUTH AT FLORENCE, DOWN TO LORENZO DE' MEDICI'S DEATH. 1475 1492.

II. FIRST VISITS TO BOLOGNA AND ROME THE MADONNA DELLA FEBBRE AND OTHER WORKS IN MARBLE. 1492 1501.

III. RESIDENCE IN FLORENCE THE DAVID. 1501 1505.

IV. JULIUS II. CALLS MICHELANGELO TO ROME PROJECT FOR THE POPE'S TOMB THE REBUILDING OF S. PETER'S FLIGHT FROM ROME CARTOON FOR THE BATTLE OF PISA. 1505, 1506.

V. SECOND VISIT TO BOLOGNA THE BRONZE STATUE OF JULIUS II PAINTING OF THE SISTINE VAULT. 1506 1512.

VI. ON MICHELANGELO AS DRAUGHTSMAN, PAINTER, SCULPTOR.

VII. LEO X. PLANS FOR THE CHURCH OF S. LORENZO AT FLORENCE MICHELANGELO'S LIFE AT CARRARA. 1513 1521.

VIII. ADRIAN VI AND CLEMENT VII THE SACRISTY AND LIBRARY OF S. LORENZO. 1521 1526.

IX. SACK OF ROME AND SIEGE OF FLORENCE MICHELANGELO'S FLIGHT TO VENICE HIS RELATIONS TO THE MEDICI. 1527 1534.

X. ON MICHELANGELO AS ARCHITECT.

XI. FINAL SETTLEMENT IN ROME PAUL III. THE LAST JUDGMENT AND THE PAOLINE CHAPEL THE TOMB OF JULIUS. 1535 1542.

XII. VITTORIA COLONNA AND TOMMASO CAVALIERI MICHELANGELO AS POET AND MAN OF FEELING.

XIII. MICHELANGELO APPOINTED ARCHITECT IN CHIEF AT THE VATICAN HISTORY OF S. PETER'S. 1542 1557.

XIV. LAST YEARS OF LIFE MICHELANGELO'S PORTRAITS ILLNESS OF OLD AGE. 1557 1564.

XV. DEATH AT ROME BURIAL AND OBSEQUIES AT FLORENCE ANECDOTES ESTIMATE OF MICHELANGELO AS MAN AND ARTIST.

THE LIFE OF MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI

CHAPTER I

I

The Buonarroti Simoni, to whom Michelangelo belonged, were a Florentine family of ancient burgher nobility. Their arms appear to have been originally "azure two bends or." To this coat was added "a label of four points gules inclosing three fleur de lys or." That augmentation, adopted from the shield of Charles of Anjou, occurs upon the scutcheons of many Guelf houses and cities. In the case of the Florentine Simoni, it may be ascribed to the period when Buonarrota di Simone Simoni held office as a captain of the Guelf party (1392). Such, then, was the paternal coat borne by the subject of this Memoir. His brother Buonarroto received a further augmentation in 1515 from Leo X., to wit: "upon a chief or, a pellet azure charged with fleur de lys or, between the capital letters L. and X." At the same time he was created Count Palatine. The old and simple bearing of the two bends was then crowded down into the extreme base of the shield, while the Angevine label found room beneath the chief.