The Bronze Effigy of Michelangelo by Daniele da Volterra

edited by Cecilie Hollberg

One of the busts that Daniele da Volterra made of the master Michelangelo Buonarroti on his death, is kept at the Galleria dell’Accademia.

The exhibition “Michelangelo: the bronze effigy of Daniele da Volterra” brings together for the first time nine similar busts (some of which apparently almost identical), which perfectly show the abilities of the great Renaissance master. The exhibition represents a very important opportunity to offer a direct comparison of the busts and to review the data, documents and related bibliography.

Daniele Ricciarelli, known as da Volterra, was not only a pupil of Michelangelo, but also a close friend of his. Moreover, he was present at the death of the master on February 18, 1564.

We know that Lionardo Buonarroti, Michelangelo’s nephew, not only rented the house to Daniele da Volterra, but also commissioned two bronze portraits of his uncle. It’s also certain that Ricciarelli made an imprint of the face of the deceased master, according to the customs of the time.

Although over the centuries there have been various attempts to identify the origins of the many existing busts (to create families or genealogies), to this day we still do not have a convincing answer. This catalog is a guide to the exhibition and will be followed by a more articulated volume, with the contribution of various scholars and the results of their research.