A Labor of Radical Love: Buonarroti and His Family

Juliana Marie Surratt College of the Holy Cross

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Michelangelo Buonarroti is renowned as a sculptor, a painter, an architect, and a poet. In remembering this fine artist and his achievements, it seems one important title—of which he is worthy— is forgotten. Michelangelo, too, was a radical family man. Regardless of all the feuds that occurred throughout the years, regardless of the shame and anger some of his siblings aroused in his heart, regardless of the constant complaints and bickering, and regardless of blood-ties, Michelangelo always came through to support those he considered family. From the very beginning of his artistic career, and to the very end, Michelangelo provided for the

Buonarroti bunch. He provided more than financial support, offering and even pushing advice upon his kinsmen for their own sakes. Further, the artist strongly indicated a willingness to sacrifice his own comfort for that of his family. In a letter dated August 19th, 1497, about a year after his arrival in , the young and struggling Michelangelo wrote his father, “Nevertheless, whatever sum you [Lodovico] ask me for I will send you, even if I have to sell myself into slavery to raise it.”1 Over fifty years later, on March 25, 1553, Michelangelo again alludes to his sacrificial nature in a letter to his nephew Lionardo: “For sixty years I have devoted myself to your welfare: now I am an old man and must think of my own.”2 As Lionardo was nowhere near sixty at the time, Michelangelo is referring to his entire family through the plural pronoun “you”.

Michelangelo recognized his own generosity, and wanted his family to recognize it as well.

Numerous letters address his knowledge on the matter.

In this essay I will be describing Michelangelo’s family dynamic. I will cover the artist’s relationship with each of his family members in detail, focusing specifically on those he conversed with most frequently: his father Lodovico, his favorite brother Buonarroto, and his

1. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 9.

2. Ibid., 276.

1 2 nephew Lionardo. In addition to the Buonarrotis, I will extend Michelangelo’s notion of family to include his well-loved assistant of twenty-six years, Francesco di Bernardino Amadori—called

Urbino.3 In this and other ways is the radicalness of Michelangelo’s family dynamic emphasized.

Lodovico Buonarroti

Lodovico Buonarroti and Michelangelo had a difficult relationship, stemming from

Michelangelo’s life choices. Since his boyhood, Michelangelo desired to be an artist, but

Lodovico was against the very idea.4 Indeed, Lodovico wanted Michelangelo to be a lawyer, government employee, or shopkeeper, and thus earn a steady- income.5 Perhaps Lodovico had good intentions underlying his cruelty towards Michelangelo, as he did not want him living in squalor, but this is no justification for violence. As a youth, the aspiring artist “was resented and quite often beaten unreasonably by his father and his father’s brothers who, being impervious to the excellence and nobility of art, detested it and felt that its appearance in their family was a disgrace.”6 Michelangelo’s resilient nature in growing up and actually becoming an artist, against his father’s will, is testament to his opposition of the status quo regarding family dynamics during the Italian Renaissance.

3. The nickname Urbino originates from Francesco di Bernardino Amadori home town of “Casteldurante, in the Marches near Urbino.” William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 259- 260.

4. James Beck, Three Worlds of Michelangelo (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1999), 9.

5. Ibid., 16; William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010.), 25.

6. Ascanio Condivi, The Life of Michelangelo, ed. Hellmut Wohl and trans. Alice Sedgwick Wohl (Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999), 9.

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Lodovico Buonarroti had a great deal of power over his children and, indeed, their opportunities were expected to hypothetically funnel through him first. In Thomas Kuehn’s

Family and Gender in Renaissance 1300- 1600, he writes:

Obedience was a quality they [fathers] wanted to instill in sons and daughters. Ideally then children would “interiorize their family’s interests” and come to follow “spontaneously” the path set out for them. On the other side, in the normal course of events grown sons could come to doubt their fathers’ competence as managers of the property and prestige they hoped to inherit. We know, of course, that some did rebel, but many more seemingly did not.7

Michelangelo did not follow “the path” his father had envisioned for him. In this way he was a rebel. Of course, this rebelliousness did affect the relationship between the artist and his father.

Michelangelo was constantly trying to prove himself to Lodovico, in an attempt to gain his respect. On completion of the , which became a source of great pride for ,

Michelangelo “gained what his father valued most: ‘honor at home.’” 8 This must have been an even greater source of pride for the young artist, who desired his father’s acceptance. It seems, however, that this acceptance was never achieved, as “Lodovico’s lingering disapproval of

Michelangelo’s profession was virtually impossible to overcome.” 9

It was, unfortunately, a great disappointment to Michelangelo that Lodovico was not supportive of his profession. Even at the ripe age of forty-eight, the artist illustrated his frustration regarding this point. In the last letter the artist wrote to his father, sent eleven years before Lodovico’s death, Michelangelo scrawled a spillage of heated emotion. He wrote,

I have always done and left undone exactly as you wished, but now I no longer know what you wish me to do. If the fact that I continue to live is displeasing to you, you have found the means of protecting yourself, and you will inherit the key to that treasure which

7. Thomas Kuehn, Family and Gender in Renaissance Italy 1300- 1600 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2017), 76. Emphasis added.

8. William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 61.

9. James Beck, Three Worlds of Michelangelo (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1999), 101.

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you say I possess. And you will do well, because all Florence knows what a precious rich man you used to be, and how I have always robbed you and deserve to be chastised. And you will be highly praised for treating me as I deserved.10

Michelangelo’s displeasure becomes very vivid within this letter. Though he had indeed disobeyed his father—and shouldn’t be punished for following his dream—he angrily denied ever doing anything against Lodovico. Then he sarcastically wrote about “deserving” punishment and chastisement, for this disobedience. Clearly there was still hurt from his youth, likely remaining from the beatings he received as a child.

Perhaps this dislike for Michelangelo’s profession was the result of a continued anger from being disobeyed on Lodovico’s part. Maybe Lodovico did not want to admit that he was wrong, that artistry was graceful and worthy of the family. It could no longer be attributed to a lack of finances regarding the profession, as Michelangelo eventually became the monetary support for his entire family. Indeed, even as Michelangelo suffered under the disapproving gaze of his single, “hard-nosed Florentine,” parent, he provided monetary assistance and advice to

Lodovico.11 Many letters written to his father address money matters. In one letter, Michelangelo wrote Lodovico, “To-morrow I will write you another letter with reference to certain moneys I wish to send to Florence, telling you what to do with them.”12 Then, in another letter the artist ordered his father to “take the money to the Spedalingo, and tell him to do with it as with the former sums, and remind him about the farm.”13 In this way Michelangelo was financially

10. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 139. Emphasis added.

11. William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 25.

12. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 36.

13. Ibid., 73.

4 5 supporting his family, and trying to ensure that they follow through specific plans that would be for the family’s benefit. Michelangelo did not want to be cheated, so all business transactions were carefully planned out by him. This illustrates another fascinating aspect of the artist’s family dynamic. In Renaissance Italy it was expected that “fathers had sole control of family property while they lived.”14 Yet Michelangelo seems to reverse the role entirely. Lodovico’s paternal role is swapped for one more closely illustrating that of a brother, while Michelangelo became the breadwinner and ultimate overseer of property.

While artist and father had some thorns in their relationship, there were moments of deep affection present between the two. When Buonarroto informs Lodovico of a swelling

Michelangelo has on his side, the father wrote his son a letter in which he told him to “watch yourself,” and then provides the ingredients for a remedy which had proved successful for himself in the past.15 The two also exchanged gifts quite frequently. When Michelangelo visited his father in 1517, Lodovico’s records show that on June 20 he purchased “a couple of pepperonis and oranges” for his son.16 Lodovico would treat Michelangelo with gifts of marzipan as well.17

In addition to these kindnesses, there was a strong bond of trust established between the two. Michelangelo entrusted his father with some drawings, asking him to “make them up in a little bundle and send them to me by some carrier. But see that they are securely done up and run

14. Thomas Kuehn, Family and Gender in Renaissance Italy 1300- 1600 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2017), 70.

15. William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 27.

16. James Beck, Three Worlds of Michelangelo (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1999), 100.

17. Ibid., 116.

5 6 no risk of damage from rain, so that not even the smallest paper may suffer hurt.”18 These drawings were clearly dear to the artist, and he asked his father—who was far from appreciating art—to send them to him. This represents a great deal of faith. It can be said with considerable certainty that Lodovico did as his son bid, as Michelangelo did not respond at any time with an angry letter regarding the fragile transaction. Though Michelangelo and Lodovico had their problems, there is no doubt that love existed between them. This is culminated in Michelangelo’s desire to be buried “close to the bones of his beloved father.”19 Through hardship and fuss, the bond between the elder Buonarroti and his artist son remained intact.

Buonarroto Buonarroti

It is no surprise that Michelangelo corresponded more with Buonarroto than any of his other brothers, as he was his favorite. Indeed, Michelangelo was not afraid to open his heart to his younger brother, complaining to him about work or homesickness. In one letter to Buonarroto

Michelangelo vented heavily about some workers at the San Lorenzo workshop. He wrote, among other complaints, “Sandro, also, has gone off; he remained for several months with a big mule and a little mule in grand style, devoting his time to fishing and making love. I have thrown away a hundred ducats on him.”20 This rather witty display of anger is quite unique to the brothers’ correspondence. It displays a familiarity which is unique to siblings or friends, those who can connect to each other without the need for absolute reverence or respect. Michelangelo also informed his brother of his desires to see him, “I will try once more to get permission to come to you for a month. I do not know whether I shall get it, but I stand in need of it as I am not

18. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 30.

19. James Beck, Three Worlds of Michelangelo (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1999), 211.

20. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 127.

6 7 over well.”21 This tenderness and desire to see Buonarroto is an expression of the deep love

Michelangelo’s had for him. It was not just that he wanted to see his brother, it is that he needed to see his brother. Buonarroto and Michelangelo shared a close relationship; it is more interdependent than any other relationship the artist had.

In relation to illness, both Michelangelo and Buonarroto expressed immense concern for each other. When Buonarroto suffered from a serious illness, Michelangelo wrote a letter to his father which illustrated his deep anxiety,

I should have come to Florence directly I received your last letter, but if I were to go away from here without permission I fear the Pope would be greatly annoyed, and I should lose the money due to me. Nevertheless, if Buonarroti is seriously ill, let me know at once, for if you think it advisable I will come post haste and be with you in two days: men are worth more than money. Let me have news quickly, because I am consumed with anxiety.22

Michelangelo was willing to risk payment and anger on the part of his patron, the strongest papal figure, to rush to his ailing brother’s side. This devotion is reflected in Buonarroto’s words to his brother, when Michelangelo is suffering from an illness. Buonarroto wrote Michelangelo that,

“You must value your person more than a column, the whole quarry, the pope, and all the world… Come home by all means, and let everything else go to hell.”23 Similarly, Buonarroto was not afraid of slighting the pope with his words, as his brother was more important than anything else. Both men would sacrifice anything for the sake of the other.

Michelangelo and Buonarroto do not often seem to fight with each other. Aside from

Michelangelo having occasionally complained that the latter s “miserly,” or too pushy, both

21. Ibid., 62. Emphasis added.

22. Ibid., 70-71.

23. William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 138.

7 8 brothers seem to have gotten along quite well.24 Buonarroto often assisted Michelangelo in sending letters or relating information to other members of the family.25 The relationship between Michelangelo and his younger brother extended beyond love, as they truly bonded and respected each other. Michelangelo described this special kind of love in a poem he wrote for

Lodovico after his death, in which he mentioned Buonarroto: One was brother to me, you were our father; / Love strains toward him, to you my obligation, / I don’t know which hurt strains or irks me further. 26 In this stanza Michelangelo identified that blood tied him more to his father than love formed through a bond of companionship. Though he loved both his father and his brother, it becomes clear that he was closer to Buonarroto. Indeed, Buonarroto was his brother, and he would confide in him about his deepest fears or anxieties. They were companions.

Lionardo Buonarroti (The Nephew of Michelangelo)

Michelangelo and his nephew Lionardo shared a close, genuine bond. The artist took

Lionardo under his wing after the death of Buonarroto, the boy’s father.27 Lionardo was six years old when Buonarroto passed on, and Lodovico took care of him.28 There was a seven-month period when Michelangelo housed Lionardo himself, on account of Lodovico not being able to handle him, but he was sent back to his grandfather when the artist became preoccupied with war

24. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 42, 89.

25. Ibid., 37-38, 41.

26. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Complete Poems and Selected Letters of Michelangelo, ed. Robert N. Linscott and trans. Creighton Gilbert (New York: The Modern Library, 1963), 61.

27. Of Buonarroto’s other children his baby, Simone, died while under Lodovico’s care, and his eldest, a girl named Francesca, was sent by Michelangelo to a convent at Boldrone until she was of marriageable age. For more information, please refer to William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 162 and Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 165- 166.

28. William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 162.

8 9 preparations in defending Florence.29 During their time together, Michelangelo played with

Lionardo, amusing him as best he could. There is one instance in which Michelangelo had been

“amusing Nardo by tracing the outline of the boy’s ankle and foot.”30 When Lodovico died in

1531, Michelangelo again took Lionardo in, before entrusting him to the care of his brother

Giovansimone in 1534.31 There can be no doubt that Lionardo’s time spent with Michelangelo as a youth affected his relationship with Michelangelo deeply. Indeed, Michelangelo eventually considered the young man as a son, fondly addressing a letter to him as “To my very dear as a son Lionardo Buonarroti” in a letter.32

Michelangelo continued to provide for and assist Lionardo throughout his life. He constantly stressed to the boy the importance of the Buonarroti family name, and wrote him such things as: “I say this because an honourable (onorevole) house standing within the city will be a great credit to us, and would make a far better impression than a few acres of farmland would do, for after all we are citizens, and descended from very noble ancestors. I have always done my best to resuscitate the family, but I had never any brothers willing to assist me”.33 Michelangelo had always desired to make his family’s noble name known to the world. It was a great source of pride for the artist, further revealing the great care he took in his lineage and thus the respect he had for his kinsmen. Indeed, Ascanio Condivi’s The Life of Michelangelo, of which

Michelangelo himself had some involvement, begins with a testament to the family’s noble

29. Ibid., 162.

30. Ibid., 162

31. Ibid., 164-165.

32. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 212.

33. Ibid., 219.

9 10 blood: “Michelangelo Buonarroti, the unique painter and sculptor, was descended from the counts of Canossa, a family from the region of Reggio which was noble and illustrious as much for its own merits and antiquity as for its connections and imperial blood”.34 There was, of course, a very appropriate reason why the artist made the family’s status known to the young

Lionardo constantly. This was because Lionardo was the youngest Buonarroti male, and thus the single source of hope for the continuation of the family.35

Lionardo was more than a nephew to Michelangelo. He was more than a son to

Michelangelo. He was the culminating factor in the Buonarroti legacy. He would either continue the lineage of the Buonarrotis or be a sad swan song, distinguishing the family name with his last breath. It is no wonder, then, that Michelangelo stressed in letter after letter the importance of finding a good wife of noble lineage. The artist constantly drew Lionardo’s attention to the importance of marriage. In a letter sent in August of 1548, the artist wrote, “Thou must seek only for soundness of body and mind, and for nobility of descent, having an eye to her character and to her relations: for these are matters of the greatest importance”.36 On February 1st, 1549 the same advice is proffered, “I tell thee again that thou art not to seek for a dowry, but only for high qualities and a good reputation”.37 This advice reveals that Michelangelo possessed quite radical beliefs on marriage, as “contemporary marriage practice… considered the dowry ‘the cornerstone of family honor.’”.38 Indeed, the artist was considering Lionardo’s happiness above a

34. Ascanio Condivi, The Life of Michelangelo, ed. Hellmut Wohl and trans. Alice Sedgwick Wohl (Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999), 5.

35. James Beck, Three Worlds of Michelangelo (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1999), 197.

36. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 239.

37. Ibid., 241.

38. Ibid., 241.

10 11 dowry, and considered that nobility is not equivalent to wealth.39 It is no wonder, then, that

Michelangelo expressed extraordinary pleasure when Lionardo married a woman, Cassandra di

Donato Ridolfi, who made his nephew a very happy man.40 Lionardo’s successful marriage made

Michelangelo as proud as if he were his own son; perhaps even more so.

While Lionardo and his uncle were fairly peaceable in their correspondence, there were times in which the artist expressed severe anger or disapproval. In July 0f 1544, when

Michelangelo was suffering a serious illness, Lionardo swiftly made his way to Rome to check up on his uncle. Instead of considering the care shown on his nephew’s part, Michelangelo assumed Lionardo had come in hopes that he would die and leave a hefty inheritance.41 There are moments, too, in which the artist complained about Lionardo’s illegible handwriting: “As I was quite unable to decipher thy last letter I put it into the fire: therefore I cannot reply to thee in any way. I have already told thee many times that whenever I receive a letter from thee I am thrown into a fever before I can find out how to read it”.42 Michelangelo’s saucy annoyance here no doubt brought much annoyance on the receiver’s part. Yet all of this is further testament to the deep rooted relationship between them. Michelangelo continued reading these illegible letters, and Lionardo kept writing them. Correspondence continued even after all these disagreements.

39. William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 244.

40. Ibid., 246; Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 283.

41. William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 236.

42. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 238.

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Michelangelo’s love for Lionardo becomes even more clear when he pleaded for his nephew to visit him after the death of his dear friend and assistant Urbino. And Lionardo did visit him.43

Lionardo Buonarroti (Michelangelo’s elder brother)

Very little is known regarding Michelangelo’s relationship with his eldest brother. Early on in his artistic career, in 1497, Michelangelo assisted Lionardo.44 Lionardo was a Dominican friar who had entered the order of Savonarola, a rabble rouser who was not approved of in Rome.

Lionardo had his frock taken away and fled from Viterbo, where he had been subjected.

Michelangelo had provided money for his brother, so he could return home.45 After informing his father about giving Lionardo money, Michelangelo wrote that he was “surrounded by uncertainties”.46 This evinces that, even during a time when Michelangelo had no idea how his artistic career would turn out he was there for his family.

Giovansimone and Gismondo Buonarroti

Michelangelo’s two youngest brothers, Giovansimone and Gismondo respectively, caused him much anxiety. In July of 1508, in response to Lodovico complaining that he was being ill-treated by Giovansimone, Michelangelo wrote his brother an angry letter in which he threatened to cease assisting Giovansimone monetarily.47 Michelangelo wrote Giovansimone that he would “make him weep hot tears and cause thee to recognise the false foundations of thine

43. Ibid., 288, 292- 293.

44. Ibid., 6.

45. Ibid., 7.

46. Ibid., 7.

47. William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 93.

12 13 arrogance.”48 Future letters show that Giovansimone redeemed himself to some extent in the eyes of his brother. Regarding Gismondo, Michelangelo urged Lionardo to “strive to bring

Gismondo back to the life of a Florentine citizen, so that it may not be said, as people say here now, to my great shame, that I have a brother at Settignano who trudges after oxen.”49 Both brothers made life choices which were less than adequate of a Buonarroti, according to

Michelangelo. Michelangelo, in a letter to Lionardo, made a rather biting comment regarding his youngest brother. He wrote, “and Gismondo also had best be careful, for people who have not had to earn their money have little knowledge of its value.”50 This insult illustrates the lack of care Michelangelo believed Gismondo had regarding important choices in life. He believed his brother to be quite spoiled.

Michelangelo makes it clear that he believed both brothers to be selfish and spoiled, in a letter written to Giovansimone in 1533. He wrote:

I was speaking the other morning about thee and Gismondo while Ser Giovan Francesco [Fattuci] was in the room, and I remarked that I had always exerted myself more on your behalf than on my own, having borne many discomforts so that they might not fall on your shoulders. I also said that ye had never done otherwise than speak evil of me in all parts of Florence. That is what I said, and I would for all your sakes that it were not the truth, for ye have earned for yourselves the reputation of being ungrateful beasts.51

In writing this, Michelangelo expressed his disappointment in his brothers, while accrediting himself for assisting them. This, and the fact that he continued to fund both brothers, illustrates that he did indeed love them. Perhaps it was a love forged by blood over bond, but it was love

48. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 54.

49. Ibid., 219.

50. Ibid., 238.

51. Ibid., 176.

13 14 nonetheless. Later in life Michelangelo expressed that he trusted Gismondo and Giovansimone through his writings to Lionardo. Indeed, when Lionardo made investments he needed both

Giovansimone and Gismondo’s full support, and both brothers had to be present, along with

Michele Guicciardini, to ensure that “the documents are drawn up in due form.”52 Thus a level of respect was established between Michelangelo and his rather roguish younger brothers.

It is a most pitiful fact that Michelangelo outlived all of his brothers, elder and younger.

After being informed of Giovansimone’s passing by Lionardo, Michelangelo responded with a sad letter. He wrote, “It has been a great grief to me, because, old though I am, I had hoped to see him before he died and before I die myself. It has pleased God that it should be as it is, and we must be resigned.”53 The regret at not being able to see his loved one again is very clear within this writing. The grief extended, however, as Michelangelo inquired to his nephew how his brother died, and if he was able to confess and receive the Sacrament.54 Similarly, Michelangelo wrote that “We must be resigned” regarding Gismondo’s death.55 Though it grieved him, the artist was pleased that his youngest brother died with “all the sacraments ordained with the

Church.”56 This resignation factor Michelangelo alludes to is testament of his strength in accepting the deaths of these brothers. It is noteworthy, however, that less than a year after

Gismondo’s death, Michelangelo’s great friend and assistant Urbino passed away. And at that time, Michelangelo did not speak of resignation.

52. Id., 206. Michele Guicciardini was the husband of Michelangelo’s niece Francesca.

53. William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 241.

54. Ibid., 241.

55. Ibid., 264

56. Ibid., 264

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Urbino

Michelangelo loved his servant Urbino with as much passion as that of his closest relatives. Urbino assisted Michelangelo with various tasks throughout his artistic career, such as with the Sistine and Pauline Chapel projects and the Tomb of Julius II.57 The extent of their relationship was far from occupational. When Urbino was wed, Michelangelo had a room furnished for the happy couple, and he was the godfather of their first child, named after the exuberant artist himself.58 It is no wonder then, that Urbino’s illness and death caused great emotional strain to the grieve- stricken older man. Indeed, to his friend

Michelangelo wrote the following about Urbino:

I find it difficult to write, yet in answer to yours I will send you a few lines. You know that Urbino is dead, for which I owe the greatest gratitude to God, although my loss is very heavy and my sorrow infinite. I am grateful, because while he lived he kept me alive, and in dying he has taught me how to die; not unwillingly, but welcoming death. I had him with me for twenty-six years and I found him ever loyal and faithful.59

Without Urbino, it seems Michelangelo was awaiting death. It was difficult for him to continue living, which shows the deep affection he possessed for his assistant. There is no denying that the love Michelangelo had for Urbino was a familial love. Like Lionardo, Michelangelo loved

Urbino “as if he were my own son.”60 This relationship cut through class ties and extended beyond blood- relations. Truly, this love was a radical love.

57. William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 260.

58. Ibid., 260- 261

59. Michelangelo: A Record of His Life, trans. Robert W. Carden (London: Constable & Co. ltd., 1913), 293.

60. William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 265.

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Conclusion

Michelangelo was always willing to assist his family. He provided for each one of his brothers financially. He expressed what was to be done with the money provided, and he ensured that everyone knew he was providing it out of generosity and trust. In addition to money, the artist was ever offering advice to his loved ones. He made his views clear, and expressed disdain when he saw fit. In investigating this family dynamic, it has become clear that the artist loved each member of his family; some were loved in different, more passionate ways than others. This family dynamic would not be complete if it didn’t include Michelangelo’s faithful assistant and spiritual son Urbino, regardless of the fact that he was not a kinsman of the Buonarrotis. Indeed, through Michelangelo’s words and actions, he has proven himself to have been a radical family man. And his labor was a labor of radical love.

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Bibliography

Beck, James. Three Worlds of Michelangelo. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1999.

Buonarroti, Michelangelo. Complete Poems and Selected Letters of Michelangelo, Edited by Robert N. Linscott. Translated by Creighton Gilbert. New York: The Modern Library, 1963.

Buonarroti, Michelangelo. Michelangelo: A Record of His Life. Translated by Robert W. Carden. London: Constable and Company, 1913.

Condivi, Ascanio. The Life of Michelangelo, Edited by Hellmut Wohl. Translated by Alice Sedgwick Wohl. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999.

Kuehn, Thomas. Family and Gender in Renaissance Italy 1300- 1600. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Wallace, William E. Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Wilde, Johannes. Michelangelo: Six Lectures. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978.

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