MICHELANGELO Buonarroti
(b. 1475, Caprese, d. 1564, Roma)

Slave (bearded)

1519-36
Marble, height 248 cm
Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence

In the sixteenth century, the Slaves, made originally for the tomb of Julius II, were visible in different forms in the spongy, moss-like architecture of the Buontalenti grottoes in the Boboli Gardens. Today they are in the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence.