Culture

Is This a Sketch of Michelangelo Carving His David Statue?

MASTER AT WORK

It was found in the margins of a 15th century edition of Dante’s “Divine Comedy.”

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Biblioteca Vallicelliana via The Art Newspaper

The margins of a 15th century copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy bear a tiny sketch of something remarkable: Michelangelo carving his iconic statue of David. So says historian James Hall, who makes the claim in a new book. “I briefly saw this amazing drawing at [a] lecture. I wondered if I might include it in my book. After several months, I suddenly thought that a lot of the pieces of the jigsaw seem to fit Michelangelo,” Hall told The Art Newspaper. Who made the drawing is in doubt, and there’s a dispute over who owned the copy of the book.

Read it at The Art Newspaper

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