Michelangelo Buonarroti, an Italian sculptor, architect, and painter, is sometimes called the original “Renaissance man.” He was born in Tuscany, Italy in 1475. Many know him as the painter of the Sistine Chapel’s elaborate ceiling.
Less well known is that before he was one of history’s greatest artists, Michelangelo was a bit of a con artist.
His patron sponsor convinced him to work at imitating the style of ancient Greek sculpture. He then sold these works as valuable antiques. He even used dirt and weathering to make it seem that these statues would look like they had been buried underground.
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| The statue of Laocoon is now rumored to have been another of Michelangelo’s forgeries. |
The art dealer, Baldassari del Milanese, sold the sculpture of a sleeping cupid unbeknownst to Michelangelo. But the buyer was a Cardinal, who, once he realized he’d been duped, demanded his money back and was angry with the dealer. The dealer was bold enough to sell that one again. We believe it changed hands several times until it ended up in the Whitehall Palace in London, and perished in the fire that consumed it in 1698.
The Cardinal demanded his money back but was so impressed by Michelangelo’s technical skill with the forgery that he invited him to meet him in Rome. Maybe he thought that the artist has also been conned. That is unclear.
Michelangelo spent a lot of time in the city and in his lifetime he had been commissioned to create work by nine consecutive popes.
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| Pieta |
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