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 Michelangelo Buonarroti: 400th Anniversary of Death Michelangelo (10 L) and Scenes from the Sistine Chapel Scott 387-391 (1964) On June 16, 1964, Vatican City issued a five-stamp set to commemorate the fourth centennial of the death of Michelangelo Buonarroti, simply known as Michelangelo. It is an understatement to simply refer to him as a “sculptor, painter, architect of the High Renaissance period”. His contemporary and biographer, Giorgio Vasari, described Michelangelo's work as “transcending that of any artist living or dead”, and praised him as "supreme in not one art alone but in all three". Born in the Republic of Florence on March 6, 1475, Michelangelo's profound curiosity, creative abilities, and mastery of the arts and science made him the definition of the “Renaissance Man”, the title also used to describe his contemporary, Leonardo da Vinci. Michelangelo would live to the ripe old age of 88, dying on February 18, 1564. Michelangelo was at first buried in Rome, but his body was eventually secretly moved to his native Florence, where he is entombed at the Basilica of Santa Croce, in a tomb designed by his biographer, Giorgio Vasari. The sheer scope of his works, as well as his voluminous surviving documents, make Michelangelo one of most-studied artists in history. The story of the man far transcends what can be covered in a Daily Email. So, it is best to let his works do the talking. Below are some examples of his artistry that have appeared on the stamps of Vatican City, as well as photos showing some of the other masterpieces of the great Michelangelo. The reader is also referred to the article by James Hamilton in the References for a detailed study of Michelangelo’s artistry at the Vatican. THE PIETA: the monumental sculpture in Saint Peter’s Basilica was completed in 1499, when Michelangelo was only 24 years old: 
 The Pietà, by Michelangelo, Photo by Torbjorn Toby Jorgensen (From Wikimedia Commons, Used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license) The Pieta (New York World's Fair Issue, Scott 384, 1964) PAULINE CHAPEL: two works found in the Chapel adjacent to the Sistine Chapel are the "Crucifixion of Saint Peter" and "The Conversion of Saint Paul", which were depicted on the stamps commemorating the 450th anniversary of Michelangelo’s death: 
 Pauline Chapel, Vatican City, Photo by Sailko (From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported license) Michelangelo Buonarroti, 450th Anniversary of Death (Scott 1577-1578, 2014) SISTINE CHAPEL CEILING: commissioned by Pope Julius II and completed over four years from 1508 to 1512, this work depicts scenes from Genesis and is arguably the greatest masterpiece of the Renaissance: 
 Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Photo by Snowdog (From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported license) Restoration of the Sistine Chapel (Scott 944 and 945, 1994) SISTINE CHAPEL ALTAR WALL: the image of the Last Judgment, finished in 1541, provides a stunning image of Christ looking down over the Sistine Chapel: 
 Sistine Chapel, Altar Wall, Vatican City, From Wikimedia Commons (in the Public Domain) Restoration of the Sistine Chapel (Scott 952, 1994) DOME OF SAINT PETER’S BASILICA: at age 71, Michelangelo succeeded Antonio da Sangallo the Younger as the architect of St. Peter's Basilica, and transformed the plan and design, including that of the Dome, which was completed following his death: 
 Dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica, Photo by Jebulon (From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported license) Dome of Saint Peter's Basilica (Vatican City Postal Card, 1950) Two monumental sculptures completed by Michelangelo that are not at the Vatican (and not shown on stamps from Vatican City) are the statues of David, found in his native Florence (completed in 1504 when he was only 29), and Moses, which is part of the tomb of Pope Julius II, located at the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome: 
 David, by Michelangelo (Florence, Italy), Photo by Jörg Bittner Unna (From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported license) Moses and the Tomb of Pope Julius II (Rome, Italy), Photo by Livioandronico2013, (From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license) In addition to the two stamp sets marking the anniversary of Michelangelo’s death, a planned release in 2025 will celebrate the 550th anniversary of his birth in 1475. The release will feature a set of postal cards, honoring the great Renaissance Man, Michelangelo Buonarroti. REFERENCES |
