Character Catalog

A marble sculptural group depicting the Virgin Mary holding the dead Christ, housed in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Created at age 24, it is the only work Michelangelo ever signed.

A colossal marble statue depicting the biblical hero before his battle against Goliath. A symbol of the Florentine Republic, it is considered the masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture.

A monumental fresco covering 500 m², depicting scenes from Genesis including the famous Creation of Adam. Commissioned by Pope Julius II, it remains one of the greatest artistic achievements in history.

A marble sculpture intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II, housed in San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome. The power of the figure with horns — a traditional interpretation of rays of light — is striking.

A monumental fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo at over 60 years of age. Its dramatic vision and nudity sparked controversy from the moment it was completed.

Designed by Michelangelo as chief architect of St. Peter's, this monumental dome with a diameter of 42 metres influenced the architecture of modern Europe.

The last sculpture left unfinished by Michelangelo, worked on until his final days. Housed in Milan, it bears witness to the artist's spiritual and formal quest in the last years of his life.

Michelangelo Buonarroti of Florence… has surpassed not only all those who have almost conquered nature, but even those celebrated and glorious ancients who have been, without any doubt, beyond all praise.

Michelangelo said: 'Painting is only worthwhile to me when it approaches relief, and relief is only good when it approaches painting.'

So that love can do nothing, nor beauty, nor nobility, nor virtue, upon a soul hardened and closed to all feeling. Only the grace of heaven can overcome nature.

I live here in great misery and in extreme toil, without money, and I suffer from a thousand ills… I lack nothing but time.

Site of the ceiling fresco (1508-1512) and the Last Judgment (1536-1541), the absolute masterpiece of Michelangelo and of all Western painting.

Museum housing the David (1501-1504), a marble colossus standing 5.17 metres tall, symbol of Florence and the humanist Renaissance.

Michelangelo became its chief architect at the age of 72 and designed the famous dome, which still dominates the skyline of Rome today.

The Medici residence where the young Michelangelo lived and was educated within the humanist circles of Lorenzo the Magnificent from 1490 onwards.

Town and white marble quarries where Michelangelo personally sourced his materials, sometimes staying for several months to select and oversee the extraction of his blocks.

Fundamental tools of Michelangelo, who wielded them with exceptional mastery to carve Carrara marble. He is said to have preferred sculpture above all other artistic disciplines.

Michelangelo would travel himself to the Carrara quarries to select his blocks, sometimes for months at a time. He sought marble of perfect whiteness and purity, free of veins that might have weakened his sculptures.

Michelangelo produced hundreds of preparatory drawings for his projects. His sketchbooks, several of which have been preserved, bear witness to an intense visual thinking process combining anatomical studies and monumental compositions.

Michelangelo himself designed an innovative scaffolding system to paint the vaulted ceiling. He often worked in uncomfortable positions, standing or with his neck tilted back, for four years.

For the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo painted a fresco onto fresh plaster applied each day (giornata). The technique demanded speed and precision, as corrections were impossible once the plaster had dried.

Often working at night or in poorly lit spaces, Michelangelo would sometimes attach a candle to his hat to illuminate his hands while sculpting or drawing.