SFORZA CASTLE, Pieta' Rondanini - Michelangelo

You're entering a long rectangular hall; hold your breath, because you're about to see a masterpiece: Michelangelo's statue Pietà Rondanini. This is the only work in this hall: it's so important that it couldn't be placed near anything else. In fact, if you don't have time to visit all of Sforza Castle, you should start here.

You can immediately note that it's incomplete: Michelangelo died while he was working on it, and he was almost ninety years old. As you know, the word "Pietà" is the statue's subject, which means compassion. We can see the Virgin holding the body of her son Jesus in her arms after he has just been taken down from the cross.

Pietà Rondanini is first seen from behind, looking at the subjects' backs. At first glance it almost looks like a block of rough marble. In fact, circling the sculpture you'll notice that some parts are clearly defined, for example the legs of Christ. The faces are just barely etched out, and you can easily see the chisel marks. You can also see an arm of Christ on the left which Michelangelo wanted to relocate but then abandoned....