AGNES’s galleries open to the public on 1 December, 6 pm! Come celebrate with us >

00:00
/
00:00
Daniele da Volterra (circle of)
Soldiers seen from behind, after Michelangelo
16th century

Because the bent proper right arm of this spear-bearing figure is repeated about a centimeter to the right, and the contour lines and forms are rendered with great precision, it is evident that this drawing is a worked-up copy. It replicates the lower left hand corner of Michelangelo’s Martyrdom of St. Peter (1545-1550, The Vatican), a fresco in the Cappella Paolina, in which the artist explored a variety of emotional reactions to the saint’s martyrdom. Interesting, however, is the fact that the copyist did not select any of the more emotionally compelling figures; rather, he opted for the sculptural, strongly muscles figures that were Michelangelo’s trademark.

 
Daniele da Volterra (circle of)
Volterra, Italy around 1509-Rome, Italy 1566
Soldiers seen from behind, after Michelangelo
16th century
Black and red chalk on paper
40.4 x 26.6 cm
Gift of Joyce and James Gutmann, 2015
58-019.01

Subscribe to our “This Week at Agnes” e-newsletter to stay abreast of events, news and opportunities at the art museum.