ANGELO (MICHAEL ANGELO BUONARROTI), the most distinguished sculptor, painter, and architect of his time and of the modern world, was born on March 6, 1475. His father, Ludovico di Leonardo Buonarroti Simoni, was a poor gentleman of Florence. When the sculptor was born, his father was podesta, or mayor, of Caprese and Chi usi, in Tuscany. He returned to Flor ence when his term of office expired, and the child was intrusted to a stonemason's wife at Settignano. The boy's enthu siasm for art revealed itself at an early age, and he was sent to the school of Messer Francesco di Urbino to learn the elements. While yet only 13 years of age, he entered the bottega of Domenico Ghirlandajo, to whom he was bound ap prentice for three years. None was ever more fortunate than Michael Angelo in the time and place of his birth. From his boyhood he was familiar with the masterpieces of Donatello, and he joined his contemporaries in making a pilgrim age to the Convent of the Carmine, where he studiously copied the supreme examples of Masaccio's art. By Ghir landajo he was recommended to Lorenzo de Medici; and entered the school which the "Magnifico" had established in his garden on the Piazza. His talent was not long in arresting the notice of Lo renzo, who henceforth gave him a room in his house and a seat at his table. To this period belong two interesting re liefs. In the "Battle of the Centaurs" (now in the Casa Buonarroti at Flor ence) the classical influence of Lorenzo's garden is strikingly apparent. A mar vellous contrast to the "Centaurs" is the "Madonna," conceived and executed in the spirit of Donatello.
In 1492, when Michael Angelo had spent some three years in his house, Lo renzo died. Pietro, Lorenzo's son and successor, retained for a time the serv ices of Michael Angelo, but he is said to have treated him with scant courtesy; and Michael Angelo fled to Bologna. Nor did he here wait long for a patron; Gianfrancesco Aldrovandi commissioned him to execute a statue. In Bologna the sculptor lingered for a year; then he once more (in 1495) returned to Flor ence. It was during this sojourn in his native city that he fashioned the marble "Cupid," to which he owed his first intro duction to Rome. Baldassare del Mila nese persuaded him to give the air of an antique by burial, and dispatch it to Rome. Here it was purchased by Cardinal San Giorgio, who, though he speedily discovered the fraud which had been put upon him, was quick to detect the talent of the sculptor who had tricked him. He therefore summoned
him to Rome, and on June 25, 1496, Michael Angelo arrived for the first time in the Eternal City. The influence of Rome and the antique is easily discern ible in the "Bacchus," now in the Na tional Museum at Florence. To the same period belongs the exquisite "Cupid" of the South Kensington Mu seum. The "Pieta," which is now in St. Peter's, was executed in 1497, but pre sents an amazing contrast.
For four years the sculptor remained in Rome, perpetually urged to return to Florence by his father, who, though he objected to his son's craft as unbefitting his station, was nothing loath to profit by the wealth which was the reward of his artistic success. Michael Angelo went back; and Soderini, who was then gonfaloniere, permitted him to convert into a statue the colossal block of mar ble upon which Agostino d'Antonio had been at work many years before, and out of the irregular block grew the cele brated "David." His "David" is the Gothic treatment of a classic theme. The influence of the antique is obvious, but the personal touch of the sculptor is also apparent. In 1504 it was placed upon its pedestal in the Piazza de' Si gnori, whence it was removed in 1873 to the Academy of Arts. A second "David" (this time of bronze) was commissioned and sent to France, where all trace of it is lost. The sculptor also designed two marble reliefs, one of which passed into the possession of Sir George Beau mont, and is now at Burlington House. The "Holy Family of the Tribune" and the "Manchester Madonna," in the Na tional Gallery, belong to the same time, and prove that Michael Angelo had not wholly neglected the art of painting. The zeal of Soderini, the gonfaloniere, in the cause of art inspired the scheme of decorating the Great Hall of the Council. For one wall Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to design a fresco; a sec• and was intrusted to Michael Angelo. The latter chose as his subject an inci dent in the war of Pisa, and executed a cartoon which Vasari, with devout ex aggeration, proclaims to have been of divine rather than of human origin. The fresco was never completed, and on the return of the Medici to Florence the cartoon was removed to the hall of their palace, to which painters were permitted unrestrained access. The result was that over-zealous admirers of Michael Angelo cut the cartoon to pieces.