P 1 :KsF
0521551331 c 01 -p 2 CUNY 160 /Joannides 052155 133 1 January 11 , 2007 10 : 5
198 WHOLLY OR PARTIALLY AUTOGRAPH SHEETS CATALOGUE 38Condition
There are major tear repairs, with associated ingrained
dirt at the right and left edges, and toned repairs in the
image where the heavier application of the ink has burned
through. There is a minor hole, a pressed-out central,
vertical fold with associated creasing and dirt, and many
inherent wrinkles. There is severe adhesive discolouration
around the edges and some paper remnants. There is also
general discolouration, primarily from ink bleed, foxing,
and local staining.Description and Inscription
Recto
The drawing bears labels by Michelangelo’s hand, iden-
tifying the different parts of the structure:il vano delpergamo di fuora/muro/ilvano nella grossezza del
muro p[er] le reliquie/il vano del pergamo di
de[n]tro/balaustri.Verso
Afull length nude figure of the Risen Christ, standing on
asarcophagus, seen from half left. His left arm is shown in
two different positions: (i) raised and pointing upwards;
(ii) bent, with the forearm across the upper chest. His right
hand holds a staff, no doubt that of a standard; His right
leg is bent, in two different positions and is supported
on the sarcophagus lid; His head is tried in three different
positions: (i) looking down to His right; (ii) looking up to
His left (this is very faint); (iii) looking slightly downwards
to His right in what seems to be the final position in this
drawing; a fold of drapery sweeps down to the right.
At the right edge, two-pen lines meet; they presumably
indicate the corner of some object.Discussion
Recto
On 14 October 1525 ,Pope Clement VII wrote to
Michelangelo requesting designs for an architectural
structure for San Lorenzo that could be used to display
the church’s collection of relics. As Ackerman elucidated,
three different sites and structures were considered in
the correspondence that continued until November15 2 6.
These comprised:1 .Aciborium to be placed as a canopy over the
altar – an interesting return to a type of structure
with strongly Roman associations, but one that was
gradually going out of fashion even in Rome by the
later quattrocento. Several drawings by Michelangelo
have been related to this project, which the Pope
preferred, but a structure above the altar would have
clashed visually with the tombs of the Leo X and
Clement VII planned for the side walls of the choir.
2 .Asite above the entrance door to the New Sacristy
wasmentioned by the Pope in a letter of 29 November
1525 butthat – probably for obvious reasons of space and
location – apparently had no sequel. There seem to be no
drawings that can be connected with this.
3 .Abalcony to be constructed on the interior fac ̧ade of
the church, above the main door was the other project
mentioned in the letter of 29 November 1525.The last was the location preferred by Michelangelo,
and even though the Pope was concerned that it might
be too high for the clear display of relics, it was that cho-
sen when the project was revived at the end of 1531 .The
scheme, as far as the interior was concerned, was fin-
ished by December 1533 ,when the relics were installed.
Michelangelo seems to have regarded the project as, essen-
tially, a structural issue. Choosing not to treat the tri-
bune as a vehicle for personal expression, he planned it to