BONARROTTI, Bt'ONAROTI, or BONAROTA, MICHAEL ANGELO, a celebrated painter, sculptor, and architect, born at ('hiusi, ill Tuscany, in the year 1474. Ills talents were so early developed, that he is figuratively said to have been born a painter; and his parents, observing the turn of his genius, put him under the tuition of Dominic° Ghirlandaio, whom he soon surpassed; for at the age of sixteen lie executed seine pieces rivaling even those of antiquity. Under the auspices of that great patron of the arts, Lorenzo di Aledieis, he estab lished an academy for painting and sculpture at Florence ; which on Recount of the troubles of the house of :Medici. he afterwards removed to Bologna. At the age of twenty-nine, lie was employed by Pope Julius II. to construct a grand mausoleum ; but bell ire it was finished, lie returned to Flo rence in disgust, on account of some pecuniary matters. From Florence lie would have gone to Cynstantimple, whither he had been invited by the grand signor, to build a bridge from that city to Pera, had he not been prevailed upon to return to IZorne by Soderini, the gonf;1lonier: or holy standard bearer. This officer recommended him to his brother, Cardinal Soderini, who introditeed him to the pope, at Bologna. ITere he met with an envious competitor, in the person of Lazzari Bramante d'ITrbino, who had been employed by the pope, and was unwilling to share his honours and profits with another. Ile endeavoured to excite a spirit of discontent in Bonarrotti, by insinuating that the pope was too much of at his firmer condnet, to permit him to resume the building of the mausoleum ; and to the pope he represented, that as Bonarrotti was a painter, he might he more advantageously employed in painting the arch of the Sextine chapel, at Rome, than in any other work. It should seem from this, that llonarrotti had not yet displayed those talents as a painter, with which he afterwards fitscinated the world ; for it is cer tain that Bramante, considering him as a dangerous rival, meant nothing less than his complete disgrace. Bonarrotti, however, though contrary to his inclination, painted the arch, co much to the pope's satisfaction. that he was taken into greater favour than ever.
Pope Leo N. ordered him to make a design for the front of the church of St. Laurence, at Florence, for which also seve ral other architects had given a draw ing, hut Bonarrotti's preferred, he was sent to Florence to superintend the building ; the vestry of which is reckoned among his best oduetions. In this city he also built the :NI edicean Library, the niches and staircase of which are of very curious con struetion.
On the death of Sangallo, in 1546, the pope, Paul M., appointed Bonarrotti architect of St. Peter's, at Rome, an appointment which he at first declined ; but being vested with unlimited powers Ibr carrying on the work, he not only accepted it, but even refused any remuneration for his labours. Sangallo had left a model for finishing the build ing, which had cost 4I s4 Poona') crowns. and occupied some years in making ; according to which the edifice itself could not have been completed in fifty y ears and upwards. The first use Bonarrotti made of his extensive commission was to set this model aside ; and in fifteen days lie produced another, for the small cost of twenty-five crowns, by which he pro posed to raise that venerable pile with fir greater facility and expedition, and with more majestic grandeur, than the plans of any of his predecessors could have given it. The four great piers. by which the cupola was to be supported, had been erected by Bramante, but they were so very weak, that succeeding architects had tbund it necessary to strengthen them. Bonarrotti thinking them still insufficient for the
purpose, he enlarged them to their present gigantic size, and contrived to leave voids, like wells, in them, probably fbr the purpose of keeping them dry. Similar vacuities lie left in the principal walls, th•out,i which he carried a winding stabea s se, so wide, and upon so gentle an ascent, that he was enabled to convey materials to the height of the level of the arches on beasts of burden. The great cornice over the arehes differs from the common cornice. in hating less pro jection and fewer members; and the imposts of the pilasters have a greater projection. In each of the two curved extre mities of the transept, it hail been intended by former archi tects to place eight tabernacles, or altars; but Bonarrotti reduced their number to three, and threw an arch over them, subdivided into a few well-proportioned compartments; and to prevent any alteration in his design by future architects, he built the whole so solid that it could not conveniently be changed. He live], however, to see the building carried to the height of the tambour on which the cupola was to be laid. when, on account of Ids age, his friends urged him to frame a model of the dome, lest what he had already done should be spoiled by the incapacity or whim of a succeeding architect. With this request he complied, and formed one of clay, which lie afterwards caused to be made of more durable materials, by Giovanni Farnese. This model was universally approved, and finally executed in the pontificate of Sextus V. While Bonarrotti was engaged in the build ing of St. Peter's, the officers called conservators, in the time of Paul III., resolved to reduce the Capitol to a useful and convenient shape, for which purpose they applied to Bonarrotti. Iie accordingly began the Senators' Palace, in the centre, ascended from without by a double flight of steps, landing on a level introduced between the two flights. The wing, denominated the Conservatorium, is entirely from his design. The ground-floor consists of an external and an internal portico, supported by sixtv-eight columns of the Ionic, order, surmounted with that elegant capital, the inven tion of which is attributed to himself. There is, however, a great blemish in this part of the building; for, in order to give a due proportion to the width of the portico, the eolurnns are niched into the wall, an expedient never productive of beautiful effect. About this time, he also finished the Far nesian Palace, which haAl been begun by Sangallo. Ile likewise designed and executed the gate, called Porta Pia, the architecture of which is not very regular ; of many other gates designed by him, it is uncertain whether any of them were ever constructed, but they are all of the san‘e irregular taste. The great central WI of the Ditoelesian baths was converted into a church from a design of his; as were the chapel of the Strozzi family at Florence, and the college of the Sapienza, except the part where the church is situated ; it is upon the whole a very fine edifice.
Old age haying at length rendered this great architect incapable of personal exertions, Nanni Bigio was secretly commissioned by the pope to superintend the building of St. Peter's, but with strict orders to adhere minutely to the plans and model of Bonarrotti, who died in 1564, in Ids 90th year, before the dome was completed. II is body was transported to Florence by order of-Comes de :Medic's, where it received the most splendid funeral honours, and a superb mausoleum was erected to his memory, at the expense of the grand duke.