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Authors: Alexander Lee
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pupil ofBertoldo di Giovanni, he would have had little reason to worry about money or to trouble about such distasteful subjects as politics and religion.
But all that was to change. On April 8, 1492, Lorenzo de’ Medici died. He was succeeded by his son Piero. An unstable and intemperate young man, Piero lacked his father’s political skill. AsFrancesco Guicciardini put it, “He was not only hated by his enemies, but also disliked by his friends, who found him almost intolerable: proud and bestial, preferring to be hated rather than loved, fierce, and cruel.” He rapidly alienated the majority of the political elite. Tensions rose, and on November 9, 1494, Piero was expelled from Florence. In his wake, the fiery Dominican friarGirolamo Savonarola gradually asserted his control over the Republic.
Sensing the danger, Michelangelo fled Florence in mid-October 1493. Without a patron, without money, and without any clear plans, he traveled first to Bologna and then toRome, where he determined to make a go of things as best he could. Although he had some notable successes—especially the Pietà —several of his projects misfired badly, and he experienced no end of troubles with materials and payment. He struggled.
By late 1500, Michelangelo’s situation was dire. On December 19, he received a heartfelt letter from his father, Lodovico. Lodovico was worried. His third son, Buonarroto, had just returned from visiting Michelangeloin Rome, and what he had heard had given him cause for concern. “Buonarroto tells me that you live with great thrift,” Lodovicowrote, “or rather, in true misery.” He was, as Lodovico warned him, in danger of falling into poverty. Indeed, Buonarroto had reported that Michelangelo was already suffering from a painful swelling on his side, brought on by impecunity and overwork. Now that Savonarola was gone and the old Republic had been restored, Lodovico begged his son to return to Florence.There, his fortunes might improve.
Michelangelo seldom took much heed of his father’s advice, but on this occasion he relented. Putting his affairs in order, and taking out a loan fromJacopo Gallo to pay for the journey, he set out for Florence in the spring of 1501.
It was money that persuaded Michelangelo to return. He needed cash badly. From family and friends, he had learned that theOpera del Duomo—the four-man committee responsible for managing the affairs of the cathedral—was looking for someone to take on a project that had been in the air for more than thirty-five years. Back in 1464, a huge block of marble had been bought with a view to having a statue carved for one of the cathedral buttresses. Two artists had previously been given the task, and both had failed. Now the operai were keen to find someone new. Arriving back in Florence, dusty and dirty from his journey, Michelangelo had high hopes. Bankrolled by theArte della Lana—which controlled the Opera—it promised to be a lucrative project.
He was in luck. After briefly consideringLeonardo da Vinci, the operai finally commissioned Michelangelo to carve the statue of David that would ultimately become one of his most famous works. Initially, the remuneration was modest.When the committee granted the twenty-six-year-old Michelangelo the contract on August 16, 1501, it agreed to pay him 6 large gold florins each month for a fixed period of two years. Given the scale of the project, it was hardly generous.The best weavers in Florence were then being paid up to 100 florins each year—in other words, more than 38 percent more than Michelangelo was getting. Given that he would have had overheads to cover, he would probably have been left quite tight for cash. By February 1502, however, the statue was already “half finished,” and the operai were sufficiently impressed not only to up Michelangelo’s pay to 400 florins, but also to discuss, less than two years later,transferring the completed work to a more suitable—and
But all that was to change. On April 8, 1492, Lorenzo de’ Medici died. He was succeeded by his son Piero. An unstable and intemperate young man, Piero lacked his father’s political skill. AsFrancesco Guicciardini put it, “He was not only hated by his enemies, but also disliked by his friends, who found him almost intolerable: proud and bestial, preferring to be hated rather than loved, fierce, and cruel.” He rapidly alienated the majority of the political elite. Tensions rose, and on November 9, 1494, Piero was expelled from Florence. In his wake, the fiery Dominican friarGirolamo Savonarola gradually asserted his control over the Republic.
Sensing the danger, Michelangelo fled Florence in mid-October 1493. Without a patron, without money, and without any clear plans, he traveled first to Bologna and then toRome, where he determined to make a go of things as best he could. Although he had some notable successes—especially the Pietà —several of his projects misfired badly, and he experienced no end of troubles with materials and payment. He struggled.
By late 1500, Michelangelo’s situation was dire. On December 19, he received a heartfelt letter from his father, Lodovico. Lodovico was worried. His third son, Buonarroto, had just returned from visiting Michelangeloin Rome, and what he had heard had given him cause for concern. “Buonarroto tells me that you live with great thrift,” Lodovicowrote, “or rather, in true misery.” He was, as Lodovico warned him, in danger of falling into poverty. Indeed, Buonarroto had reported that Michelangelo was already suffering from a painful swelling on his side, brought on by impecunity and overwork. Now that Savonarola was gone and the old Republic had been restored, Lodovico begged his son to return to Florence.There, his fortunes might improve.
Michelangelo seldom took much heed of his father’s advice, but on this occasion he relented. Putting his affairs in order, and taking out a loan fromJacopo Gallo to pay for the journey, he set out for Florence in the spring of 1501.
It was money that persuaded Michelangelo to return. He needed cash badly. From family and friends, he had learned that theOpera del Duomo—the four-man committee responsible for managing the affairs of the cathedral—was looking for someone to take on a project that had been in the air for more than thirty-five years. Back in 1464, a huge block of marble had been bought with a view to having a statue carved for one of the cathedral buttresses. Two artists had previously been given the task, and both had failed. Now the operai were keen to find someone new. Arriving back in Florence, dusty and dirty from his journey, Michelangelo had high hopes. Bankrolled by theArte della Lana—which controlled the Opera—it promised to be a lucrative project.
He was in luck. After briefly consideringLeonardo da Vinci, the operai finally commissioned Michelangelo to carve the statue of David that would ultimately become one of his most famous works. Initially, the remuneration was modest.When the committee granted the twenty-six-year-old Michelangelo the contract on August 16, 1501, it agreed to pay him 6 large gold florins each month for a fixed period of two years. Given the scale of the project, it was hardly generous.The best weavers in Florence were then being paid up to 100 florins each year—in other words, more than 38 percent more than Michelangelo was getting. Given that he would have had overheads to cover, he would probably have been left quite tight for cash. By February 1502, however, the statue was already “half finished,” and the operai were sufficiently impressed not only to up Michelangelo’s pay to 400 florins, but also to discuss, less than two years later,transferring the completed work to a more suitable—and
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