Crucifix;+Michelangelo,+1492

** Who Created It? **
 * Creator || Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1475-1564 ||
 * Title || Crucifix ||
 * Date || c.1492-93 ||
 * Material || polychromed wood ||
 * Measurements || 53 in ||
 * Repository || Casa Buonarroti (Florence, Italy) ||
 * Subject || Sculpture--Italy--15th C. A.D ||
 * ARTstor Collection || ARTstor Slide Gallery ||
 * Source || Data from: University of California, San Diego ||

**HISTORY:** At just seventeen years old, Michelangelo was a guest of the convent of Santa Maria del Santo Spirito in Florence. In the convent of Santa Maria del Santo Spirito, Michelangelo was allowed to study the corpses that came from the convent’s hospital. In exchange for this allowance, Michelangelo is said to have sculpted the crucifix shown above. It was then placed over the high alter of the church. Today, the crucifix hangs in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Santo Spirito, in Florence. (Berti,1998).

As anatomically correct as this crucifix is, it has been accused of being a fake. This statue is questionable due to the dull nature of the colors and expression. Michelangelo was known for jaw-dropping art that left critics and collectors in awe for years. This crucifix leaves little to the imagination and does not provide the “thank you” to the convent that it is said to. Critics think that Michelangelo would not have put half effort into such a gift. “Some critics said the crucifix lacks the vitality and energy typical of Michelangelo's sculptures, going so far as to call the statue ‘invertebrate’” (BBC, 2001). Furthermore, this piece has no record tying it to Michelangelo, and he was not known for carving small figures out of wood. (NYT, 2009).

Although there are no records to link this crucifix to Michelangelo, there are many critics who support the authentication of this piece. Umberto Baldini, director of the cultural division of Italy's National Research Council says, “The artist had acquired a minute familiarity with human anatomy, something which consequently granted him an extreme refinement in polishing the wood, to which the pigments added the exalting beauty of life, intensity and mobility” (BBC, 2001). In 2009 the city of Florence also showed its support in the authenticity of this piece of art by purchasing it for the equivalent of $4.2 million U.S. dollars. Renaissance art expert Giancarlo Gentilini says, “I’ve seen hundreds of crucifixes and I think the quality of this one is superior to any other” (NYT, 2009).

**SOURCES: **

Berti, L. (1998). //All the works of michelangelo//. Florence: Bonechi Edizioni "Il Turismo".

Crucifix 'confirmed' as a michelangelo. (2001, July 18). //BBC News//, Retrieved from []. Retrieved 25 July 2011.

Elisabetta, P. (2009, April 22). Yes, it’s beautiful, the italians all say, but is it a michelangelo?". //The New York Times//, Retrieved from []. Retrieved 25 July 2011.

Gentilini, G. (2004, May 8). Proposta per michelangelo giovane. un crocifisso in legno di tiglio. //catalogo della mostra.//