Last JudgmentWhile painting his famous "Last Judgment" fresco in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo was frequently pestered by Pope Paul III's master of ceremonies for a glimpse of the emerging masterpiece. At last the work was unveiled and, sure enough, the man found himself depicted therein - among the damned in hell, being tormented by demons.
Horrified, the man promptly complained to the pope, who refused to intervene. "God has given me authority in Heaven and on Earth," he declared, "but my writ does not extend to Hell."
[While working on “The Last Supper,” Leonardo da Vinci once dryly remarked that if he could not find a face sufficiently evil for Judas he would happily substitute that of the prior in whose abbey he was working.]
Michelangelo [Buonarroti], (1475-1564) Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet [noted for such
works as his sculptures David (1501) and Pieta; his paintings in the Sistine Chapel (1508–1512); and his plans for Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome]
[Sources: C. Speroni, Wit and Wisdom of the Italian Renaissance; New Yorker, 2005-01-17]More Michelangelo [Buonarroti] anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Art Paintings Painting Revenge Heaven Hell Religion Popes Rejections Vatican Interruptions Surprises Complaints Refusals
View/add Comments [0]
