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Patrick Yeung Havc 168 Pf. Langdale February 3, 2010 A Life Time Carved in Marble The tomb of Julius II remains one of the most interesting artworks by Michelangelo,
because of the evolution it had gone through, and also the ambition expressed by both the
artist and his patron, Giuliano della Rovere, more commonly known as Pope Julius II. This
paper will focus on the tomb commissioned by Pope Julius II (Fig. 1) by Michelangelo in
March 1505.11 The tomb, in the beginning, served as an opportunity for great expression of
power and status. While this purpose stayed the same for Julius II and the Rovere family as
time passed by, the tomb took on a different meaning for the artist. Through an analysis of the
project’s background and its sculptures, along with the possible symbolism and mythical
allusions, we shall understand its political and spiritual meanings to both Michelangelo and
Julius II. The work is a result of the relationship between the patron and the artist; it is much
more than just an immense monument. By studying the tomb’s many aspects mentioned
above, we will be able to grasp the pope’s original intent for a glorious demonstration of
power, and how time truncated it and made it Michelangelo’s burden.
Figure1-Michelangeloandassistants,TombofPopeJuliusII(S.PietroinVincoli,Rome),1545.
11HerbertvonEinem.Michelangelo,trans.RonaldTaylor(London:Methuen&COLTD,1973),39. 22
The tomb began as an extremely ambitious project, but as time went on with one
misfortune after another, the result turned out to be a much-reduced version. Michelangelo
himself referred to the piece as the “Tragedy of the Sepulchre.”22 The tomb took over 40 years
to complete, during which exhaustion and malicious schemes by Bramante and Raphael
plagued Michelangelo.33 However, from 1508 to 1532, Michelangelo completed one of his
most extraordinary aesthetic achievements: the Ceiling of the Sistine chapel . He made
numerous attempts to return to and work on the tomb, but in the end it remained unfinished.
His creative effort was not wasted, because he did manage to complete one of the compelling
examples of renaissance sculpture, the 10-foot tall Moses (Fig. 2), and a series of sculptures
depicting captives. We shall begin by tracing the inception of the project, the motives behind
it, and carefully study the sculptures, especially the Moses and the captive figures.
Figure 1—Michelangelo, The Moses, 1515
22SestoPrete,TheOriginalContractwithMichelangelofortheTombofPopeJuliusII(NewYork:JohnF. Fleming,1963),7. 33Prete,7. 33
One of Michelangelo’s most important patrons, Julius II was from a powerful papal
family. His uncle, Francesco, who was a theologian and General of the Order before
becoming pope in 1471, is the main reason behind della Rovere’s rise to power.44 Francesco
took the name Sixtus IV and helped make his nephew Giuliano a cardinal. Sixtus IV was an
enthusiastic patron of the arts and sponsored the construction of the Sistine Chapel. Giuliano
later took the name Julius II when he became pope. He strived to match his uncle’s
accomplishment by hiring artists such as Giuliano da Sangallo, Michelangelo, Bramante and
Raphael to help build many of his ambitious projects including the new St. Peter’s façade of
St. Lorenzo, and the painting of the Sistine Ceiling. All these efforts were made to
demonstrate the virtue of Magnificenza, which was a public phenomenon relating to
institutions, political power and Roman state. It had nothing to do with luxury. The term came
from the Latin expression “magnum facere”, which means “to do something great”55 and to
impress without causing fear or indignation.66
Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere was elected pope on 30 October 1503 during one of
the shortest conclaves ever held.55 The papacy was gained through manipulation and bribery.66
He was often described as a “large man with an overbearing manner who spoke plainly and
quickly lost his temper.”77 Compared to Michelangelo’s character, this presents quite a
contrast. Anthony Hughes described Michelangelo as a temperamental man.88 Their
personalities complemented each other. One took action while negating views of the masses;
the other worked meticulously to please others. Their characters, even though contrasting with
each other, both seem to be forceful in their pursuing of their “superpersonal” goals.99 The
pope wished to be remembered as a great and powerful ruler, while Michelangelo desired to
4.4. James H. Beck, Three Worlds of Michelangelo (NewYork: WW Norton & Company, 1999), 154. 5.5. Sara F. Maclaren. Lusso, spreco, magnifienza. (Italy, Meltci, 1995), 45. 6.6. Maclaren, 50. 7.7. Beck, 155. 8.8. Anthony Hughes, Michelangelo (London: Phaidon Press, 1997), 105. 9.9. Hughes, 105. 10.10. Hughes, 107. 11.11. Charles De Tolnay, The Tomb of Julius II (Princeton: Princeton University, 1954), 5. 44
produce works that would be revered for eternity. It is as if they were destined to aid each
other in materializing their dreams through the planning of this larger than life tomb.
Michelangelo was sent for to Rome in March 1505. It is speculated by De Tolnay that
Giuliano da Sangallo, who was a friend of Michelangelo’s, recommended him to the pope,
and later became the primary contractual negotiator between the two. During the time of the
pontificate of Julius II, Rome was the center of aesthetic style movement in Italy.
During these years that Rome and Florence saw the birth of what we call the ‘Grand Style’ or the ‘Classical Style’, that is to say the purification of the language of art by the excision of regional idioms, the development of a universal language by the assimilation of the Greco-Roman ideal of beauty. 1010
It is very important to note that it is during this time that the Greco-Roman idea of beauty and
style was flourishing, because one of the main purposes of the first design of Julius II’s tomb
was to, according to Vasari,
Surpass by its beauty and its opulence, its richness of ornamentation and abundance of statues, all the old imperial tombs: “…di bellezza e di superbia e di grande ornamento e ricchezza di statue passava ogni antica et imperiale sepoltura.”1111
Pope Julius II saw himself as an emperor; more importantly, the “Warrior Pope” who was
determined to free the Italy from subjection to foreign powers; therefore, the tomb was an
imperative attempt to leave an imagery grander than “all the old imperial tombs”. He was
determined to regain papal authority and recover papal estates. In 1506, Julius tried to
recapture Perugia and Bologna, and in 1511 to 1512, his famous warcry ‘Out with the
Barbarians!’ marks his ongoing project of trying to drive the French out of Italy.1212 The
political climate during 1505 to 1513 was very complex. On the surface, there was an uneasy
relationship between France and Spain on Italian soil; inside, Papal States and city-states
10.10. Einem, 39. 11.11. De Tolnay, 6. 12.12. De Tolnay, 7. 55
conflicted with each other.1313 By demanding the grandeur of the tomb to surpass all “old
imperial tombs”, Julius II strived to re-enforce the magnificent persona as great as, if not
greater than, the ancient Roman Emperor he saw in himself, because during his reign,
Protestant Reformation produced much hostility in Christianity.1414 The Catholic Church was
beginning to lose influence and power; moreover, Julius II’s predecessors were poor, impious
and unpopular.1515 The commission of the tomb was deemed quite crucial to render Julius II an
impressive ruler in history.
Michelangelo made many of drawings in planning for the tomb, and Julius created a
contract based on the one he selected. Michelangelo was to be paid 10,000 ducats for
completing the tomb in five years.1616 Little did he know that he took on a project of a lifetime.
He immediately went to Carrara to purchase marble for construction.1717 The original design for
the project of 1505 remains a mystery; however, reconstructions of the plan were produced
based on Condivi’s description of the first project.1818 It was to be completely isolated so that it
can be viewed from all sides. All around were niches, where statues would be placed, and
herms placed between niches, on which, certain plinths rising from the ground and projecting
forward. There would be statues of bound figure
representing the Liberal Arts, along with sculptures
personifying Virtues. Forty statues were planned for the
project (Fig. 3).
Figure 3-Reconstruction of the 1505 Tomb of Julius II project
13.13. Hughes,106. 14.14. Edith Simon. The Reformation(New York, Time-Life Books, 1966), 120. 15.15. Simon, 122. 16.16. De Tolnay, 7. 17.17. George Bull. Michelangelo: A Biography (New York: The Penguin Books LTD, 1995), 65. 18.18. Hughes, 110. 66
After the pope had written the contract of March 1505, Michelangelo set up his studio
by the piazza of St Peter’s.1717 The pope even built a bridge to the workshop so that he could
observe the work in progress.1818 The first misfortune happened when the arrival of marble
blocks was delayed because the Tiber had flooded. Not long after the work had started, Julius
ordered the project to be suspended, and on a few occasion refused to receive Michelangelo.
This was the inception of what Condivi called “the tragedy of the papal tomb”. 1919 The artist’s
pride wounded, Michelangelo left Rome for Florence on August 17, 1506. He later stated in a
letter that the reason behind his flight was because the pope’s choosing of Bramante’s plan for
St. Peter’s. The conflict between himself and Bramante was summarized by Michelangelo:
All the differences that arose between Pope Julius and me were caused by the jealousy of
Bramante and Raphael, and this was why Pope’s tomb was never completed – just to ruin
me.’2020 At the end of November, the artist and the pope reconciled. Julius even ordered a
seated bronze figure of himself be cast for the façade of San Petronio in Bologna, the capital
city of Emilia-Romagna. Although the people of Bologna melted the figure as an act of
defiance and was cast into an enormous cannon, which Alfonso I of Ferrara called Julius.2121
The project gave Michelangelo ideas about larger than life seated figure for the Tomb, which
later he realized as the Moses.2222
The Pope’s death on 20 February 1513 was a devastating blow for Michelangelo largely
because Julius was his most important patron. Julius II was never interred in the tomb he
commissioned from Michelangelo. On 6 May 1513, Leonardo Grosso della Rovere, Cardinal
of Agen, and pope’s secretary, Lorenzo Pucci, fashioned a new contract initiating the second
phase of the construction of the tomb.2323 Julius’ successor, Leo X, was on good terms with the
nephew of Julius II, Francesco Mario della Rovere, Duke of Urbino.
17.17. Linda Murray. Michelangelo: his life, works, and times. (London:Thames and Hudson, 1984), 50. 18.18. Murray, 50. 19.19. Herbert von Einem, Michelangelo. (London: Methuem & CO LTD, 1973), 37. 20.20. De Tolnay, 32. 21.21. Sharon La Boda, International Dictionary of Historic Places: Southern Europe. (Chicago, Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1995), 99. 22.22. De Tolnay, 4. 77
The first three years of the pontificate of Leo X was the most peaceful and productive
period when Michelangelo was able to work without being interrupted.2424 The artist sculpted
the Rebellious Slave,, Dying Slave and the Moses during this period. It is also during this time,
that the significance of Julius II’s tomb changed. The tomb was no longer just an edifice that
was meant to surpass all imperial tombs, but a tangible symbol of the power of the della
Rovere family. For this reason, the new contract signed on May 6, 1513 expanded the tomb.
The time allotted for its execution was increased from five to seven years; the price, too, was raised from 10,000 ducats to 16,500 ducats. The monument went from being freestanding to becoming attached to the wall by one of its four façades; the burial chamber with sarcophagus inside was suppressed. The upper platform was now required to support six large seated statues instead of four…2525
One can see that there are many connections between Michelangelo’s works. There are six
pen sketches for this 1513 design (Fig. 4). This drawing show a very different motif from the
serene and peaceful slaves in the 1505 design. Michelangelo seemed to have found a new
motif for the sculptures decorating the tomb: the contrast between restrained and unbound. It
is worth mentioning that the Laocoon was discovered on 14 January 1506 (Fig. 5).2626 The
Roman copy probably left a rather deep impression on Michelangelo’s mind and served as an
unwavering inspiration for the St. Matthew sculpture and the 1513 figures. One can compare
the Dying Slave (Fig. 6) with the younger son of Laocoon. The rhythmic twisting of the body,
and the torment can only be experienced internally more strongly than visually. Some
interpret the Dying Slaves as an adolescent falling asleep, and that he represents
Michelangelo’s inner conflict with his sexuality.2727 The question is if the serenity shown on the
young dreamer’s face hide the pain from physical imprisonment or if the expression show a
moment of ecstasy because of spiritual liberation?
23.23. DeTolnay,32. 24.24. DeTolnay,32. 25.25. DeTolnay,32. 26.26. Hughes,110. 27.27. JamesM.Saslow.GanymedeintheRenaissance:HomosexualityinArtandSociety (NewHaven:YaleUniversity Press,1986),17. 88
Figure 2 – Michelangelo, Genius of Libyan Sibyl (Oxford).
Figure 6 - Michelangelo, Dying Slave (Paris Louvre), 1513.
Figure 5 - Laocoon(Vatican City) 99
Several figures of captives were sculpted for The Tomb of Julius II . The Rebellious
Slave features a young athletic man caught in an agonizing position (Fig. 7). The most extreme contortion is seen on the left shoulder. His torso turned right, left arm painfully twisted back, and the head slightly thrown back. Detailing is concentrated on the knee area with meticulous effort to render tendons and muscles. De Tolnay pointed out that the bands on the slaves’ bodies are irrational. The bands do not connect realistically. There is a deliberate negligence of logic.2828
The Slaves were created to represent the Arts, which Julius
held dear. When Michelangelo was sent to work for Leo X
Florence, the Rebellious Slave and Dying Slave stayed in his
Rome studio until 1546. He reconsidered the two statues and
decided that they were no longer appropriate, so he gave them
to Roberto Strozzi2929. Rachel and Leah were created later to
replace the two, because Michelangelo thought that the virtues
represented by the two biblical sisters were better suited.3030
The friendly relations between Duke of Urbino and
Leo X terminated in 1515 when the Duke declined to assist
Leo X in war against the French. Francesco even became a
3131 Figure7–Michelangelo,Rebellious secret ally of Francis I. Since the Duke Urbino was from the Slave(Paris,Louvre),1513. Rovere family, Michelangelo could no longer focus on the
28.28. De Tolnay, 38. 29.29. Ludwig Goldscheider. Michelangelo: paintings, sculpture, architecture (London: Phaidon Press, 1996), 84. 30.30. De Tolnay, 71. 31.31. De Tolnay, 44. 10 monument for Julius II without upsetting Leo X. The new contract of 1516 served to greatly reduce the size of the tomb, metaphorically, showed the eclipsing of the Rovere’s power by
Medici. The tomb was reduced to a façade; however, there continued to be connections between the artist’s works. The 1525 architecture of two stories pushes toward the upward movement on the upper region. The design is reminiscent of that of the façade of St.
Lorenzo.3232
The Boboli Garden Slaves, intended to decorate the base of the tomb, were never finished (Fig. 8). They were to be placed before the central pilasters, facing viewers. The four slaves were inspired by the idea of four periods of the day. 3333 “Atlas” of the day; “Sleeping” of the night; “Awakening Slave” of the morning and Bearded Slave from twilight. 3434 These inspirations, according to Baldwin, are related to the ancient Greek Gods:
Atlas, Mercury, Apollo, and Bacchus, respectively. 3535
Figure8–Michelangelo,OldSlaveandYoungSlave(BoboliGarden),1530.
32.32. De Tolnay, 52. 33.33. De Tolnay, 69. 34.34. De Tolnay, 61. 35.35. RobertBaldwin.TombMonumentforPopeJuliusII.(London,2009),1.