Michelangelo’sSlavesand the Gift of Liberty

• Published in: Renaissance quarterly Vol. 65; no. 4; pp. 1029 - 1059
• Main Author: Ruvoldt, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Renaissance Society of America 01.12.2012
• Subjects: Bronzes; Brothers; Cartoons; Contracts; Exile; Palaces; Sculptors; Sieges; Sons; Statues; Studies

Sometime between 1544 and 1550, Michelangelo gave two sculptures, theRebellious Slaveand theDying Slave, to Roberto Strozzi, a fellow Florentine resident in Rome. Although the gift ostensibly signified gratitude for Strozzi’s hospitality during the artist’s convalescence from a grave illness, it had...