The Best Artists

A BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF MICHELANGELO’S WORKS

1475 MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI is born on March 6 in Caprese, Toscana, Italy

1489 He starts to study sculpture in Lorenzo de Medici’s garden.

1494 In Bologna he sculpts three small figures for the tomb of St. Dominic. He returns to Florence and carves a CUPID, which he sells to the art dealer Milanese.

1496 He goes to Rome. Carves the BACCHUS for a banker.

1498 He carves the PIETÁ for Cardenal Groslaye.

1501 Soderini, the “mayor” (Gonfalonier) of Florence, gives Michelangelo the botched block for his DAVID M. works on it between the summer of 1501 and fall of 1504. Meanwhile he starts a bronze David for the city of Florence but does not finish it; and Twelve Apostles for the Cathedral of Florence. He only gets as far as a half-finished ST. MATTHEW.

1504 Soderini gives Michelangelo the 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 another wall of the Council Chamber. Michelangelo only finishes the cartoons—he never starts to paint the wall.

1505 He goes to Rome to build a tomb for Pope Julius II. Then he spends nine months in Carrara quarrying marble.

1506 He leaves Rome in anger on learning that the Pope has given up the tomb project. He takes refuge in Florence under the protection of Soderini. Michelangelo sends the BRUGES MADONNA, carved a few years earlier, to Flanders. In November he goes to Bologna to apologize to the Pope, who pardons him and orders a colossal bronze statue of himself. The statue is set up in 1508.

1508 He begins work on the SISTINE CHAPEL ceiling. He finishes the ceiling in 1512.

1513 Pope Julius dies. Michelangelo signs a new contract for his tomb with his heirs. He works on the MOSES and the SLAVES (now in the Louvre).

1514 He begins work on a RISEN CHRIST for the church of Sta. Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. It is unveiled in 1521.

1516 He signs the third contract for the Julius tomb and goes to Carrara for marble. The Medici, now ruling again in Florence, ask him to design the facade for the family church of St. Lorenzo. His design calls for 10 statues.

1517—1521 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 St. Lorenzo, which now includes 22 statues. This project was suddenly and inexplicably cancelled by Pope Leo in 1524.

1521 He begins to work in the MEDICI CHAPEL and continues through 1523, working part-time on the Julius tomb project.

1528 He is named Chief of Fortifications and must devote himself to the defense of Florence. Secretly he continues work on the figures in the Medici Chapel. When the peace is signed, he is ordered by the Pope to work exclusively on the figures for the Medici Chapel. He finishes two of them by 1531.

1532 He signs a new contract with Julius’ heirs for a smaller tomb—only six figures.

1533 He starts to paint the LAST JUDGMENT in the Sistine Chapel. He finishes it in late 1541.

1543 He begins the PAULINE CHAPEL FRESCOES. He finishes them in 1549.

1545 The JULIUS TOMB is finally set up in San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome.

1549 Michelangelo is appointed official architect of ST. PETER’S. In 1560 he completes his model of the dome.

1555 He mutilates his FLORENTINE PIETÀ.

1564 He works on the RONDANINI PIETÁ until his death on February 18.