Shortly before officially receiving the commission to sculpt David, Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini wanted to commission me a large number of sculptures to decorate the family chapel in Siena.
Once again, he would be there to act as an intermediary Jacopo Galli.
The cardinal was the nephew of Pope Pius II and had already had frescoes done since Pinturicchio the library to accommodate the illuminated manuscripts and began the construction of the family chapel.
The interventions at Piccolomini Chapel inside the Siena Cathedral had begun with the construction of the marble façade in 1840 by Andrea Bregno, at the time the most famous and sought after sculptor in all of Rome.
However, the sculptures to decorate that monumental chapel were still missing and Cardinal Piccolomini wanted me to sculpt them. I should have put my hand to fifteen sculptures in Carrara marble “new, white and white and not veiny” as I wrote in a letter in the spring of 1501.
The contract was then put on paper in June. First it was signed by Cardinal Piccolomini, then by me and a few days later also from Gauls who once again took on the role of guarantor.
Those 15 sculptures, once completed, would have earned me 500 ducats but not only that. It was specified in the contract that I would have to work on the sculpture of St. Francis that Pietro Torrigiano (yes, the one who had disfigured me with a punch years before) he had sent from Rome but without completing it.
Think about that only a few months later, on 16 August 1501, I signed the contract for the David. I dragged that Sienese commission with me for years and had quite a few problems with the cardinal’s heirs, he then rose to the throne of Peter with the name of Pope Pius III.
How did it end? Of those fifteen sculptures I ultimately managed to complete only four: Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Pius bishop and Saint Gregory pope.
For the moment, your Michelangelo Buonarroti greets you and will meet you in future posts and on social media.
Shortly before officially receiving the commission to sculpt David, Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini wanted to commission me a large number of sculptures to decorate the family chapel in Siena.
Once again, Jacopo Galli would act as an intermediary.
The cardinal was the nephew of Pope Pius II and had already had Pinturicchio fresco the library to house the illuminated manuscripts and started the construction of the family chapel.
The interventions on the Piccolomini Chapel inside the Siena cathedral began with the construction of the marble façade in 1840 by Andrea Bregno, at the time the most famous and sought-after sculptor in all of Rome.
However, the sculptures to decorate that monumental chapel were still missing and Cardinal Piccolomini wanted me to sculpt them. I should have worked on fifteen sculptures in Carrara marble “novo, candodo et bianco et non venoso” as I wrote in a letter in the spring of 1501.
The contract was then put on paper in June. First it was signed by Cardinal Piccolomini, then by me and a few days later also by Galli who once again took on the role of guarantor.
Those 15 sculptures, once completed, would have earned me 500 ducats but not only that. The contract specified that I would have to work on the sculpture of Saint Francis that Pietro Torrigiano (yes, the one who had disfigured me with a punch years before) had sent from Rome but without completing it.
Consider that only a few months later, on 16 August 1501, I signed the contract for the David. I dragged that Sienese commission with me for years and had quite a few problems with the heirs of the cardinal, who later ascended to the throne of Peter with the name of Pope Pius III.
How did it end? Of those fifteen sculptures, in the end I managed to complete only four: Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Pius the bishop and Saint Gregory the pope.
For the moment, your Michelangelo Buonarroti greets you and will meet you in future posts and on social media.
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