The hand of the master was hidden under 9 layers of paints. The one of Michelangelo Buonarroti, who in his youth, before sculpting the Vatican Pietà – known throughout the world and kept in St. Peter's – modeled another work with the same subject, the lifeless Christ in the arms of the Virgin. This time not in marble, but in a more glossy terracotta than usualor, which contains clay and Carrara marble dust.
The sculpture was found about twenty years ago and to return to its original appearance it passed through a three-year restoration, edited by Loredana Di Marzio.
But how can we be sure that the author is really Michelangelo? The history of the work and its laborious attribution process is retraced in the book "Michelangelo and the terracotta Pietà. Studies and documents / Interventions / Diagnostics“, edited by Claudio Crescentini, published by Erreciemme and presented on Thursday at the Rome headquarters of the Civita Association, in Piazza Venezia.
The volume – which in addition to the interventions of the curator and restorer contains essays by scholars Roy Doliner, Tommaso Emaldi, Valentina Martino and Patrizia Nitti – explores all the aspects in support of Michelangelo's paternity of the work: iconographic, historical-documentary and diagnostic elements.
In reality, the sculptor's artistic quality and anatomical knowledge immediately made the young Buonarroti think that he would have created this work as a preparatory study for the sculpture now in St. Peter's. “The terracotta Pietà is clearly a Mannerist work and Mannerism takes its cue from Michelangelo – explains Crescentini – Several elements link this sculpture to the Vatican Pietà, for example the dress of the Madonna that becomes the fabric in which the body of Christ is wrapped, or the so-called 'mannerist serpentine' in the definition of the figures”.
It's still: "The left hands of Mary, Jesus and the angel intersect – underlines Roy Doliner, the first to hypothesize the hand of Buonarroti – It is one signature of Michelangelo, who was left-handed".
Several have emerged over the years decisive documents for the attribution: the work is described in numerous archives, inventories, drawings and famous paintings. These texts have made it possible to reconstruct the various transfers of ownership of the sculpture, which belonged to the Casali family of Bologna and, before that, to an aide to Michelangelo, Antonio Basoja, known as "The Frenchman".
“We found a mountain of documents on the history of this statue – continues Doliner – It is definitely the most documented terracotta of the Renaissance”. Finally, his voice breaking with emotion: "I am moved by the idea of having contributed to adding another jewel to the Italian artistic heritage".
