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Daniele da Volterra (circle of); Buonarroti, Michelangelo (after)
Soldiers seen from behind Soldats vus de dos
16th century 16e siècle

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); Buonarroti, Michelangelo (after)
Volterra, Italy 1509-Rome, Italy 1566; Caprese Michelangelo, Italy 1475-Rome, Italy 1564 Volterra, Italy 1509-Rome, Italy 1566; Caprese Michelangelo, Italy 1475-Rome, Italy 1564
Soldiers seen from behind Soldats vus de dos
16th century 16e siècle
Black and red chalk on paper Pierre noire et sanguine sur papier
40.4 x 26.6 cm
Gift of Joyce and James Gutmann, 2015 Don de Joyce et James Gutmann, 2015
58-019.01

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