The Life of Michael Angelo

by Romain Rolland

THE LIFE OF

MICHAEL ANGELO

BY ROMAIN ROLLAND

AUTHOR OF “JOHN CHRISTOPHER” ETC.

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH
BY FREDERIC LEES

ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK

E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY

1912

BALLANTYNE & COMPANY LTD
Tavistock Street Covent Garden
London England

CONTENTS
 

	page
Preface	v
Introduction	3
PART I—THE STRUGGLE
IIIStrength	23
IIIShattered Strength	50
IIIDespair	70
PART II—ABDICATION
IIILove	91
IIIFaith	125
IIISolitude	149
EPILOGUE
Death	165
APPENDIX
Part IIPoems by Michael Angelo	175
Part IIBibliography	192
Index	197

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
 

	facing page
FrontispiecePortrait of Michael Angelo Attributed to Marcello Venusti
Tomb of Giuliano de’ Medici In the Medici Chapel, San Lorenzo, Florence	12
The Battle of the Centaurs Unfinished bas-relief in the Galleria Buonarroti, Florence	24
Pieta St. Peter’s, Rome	28
David Academy of Fine Arts, Florence	30
The Holy Family In the Uffizi, Florence	34
The Prophet Jeremiah In the Sistine Chapel	42
Decorative Figure In the Sistine Chapel	48
The Slave From the statue in the Louvre	54
God Creating the Sun and Moon In the Sistine Chapel	60
Monument of Lorenzo de’ Medici Medici Chapel, San Lorenzo, Florence	64
The Creation of Man In the Sistine Chapel	68
The Erythræan Sybil From the Sistine Chapel	74
The Libyan Sybil From the Sistine Chapel	80
Victory From the group in the National Museum, Florence	84
Christ Condemning the Wicked Fragment of “The Last Judgement,” in the Sistine Chapel	92
Young Woman Wearing a Helmet From the drawing in the Uffizi Gallery	100
The Resurrection From a drawing in the Louvre	112
The Resurrection From a drawing in the British Museum	116
Charon’s Boat Fragment of “The Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel	120
Moses (Tomb of Julius II) San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome	124
Original Model (in wood) of the Dome of St. Peter’s In the Vatican	128
The Descent from the Cross From the group in the Cathedral, Florence	130
Jesse In the Sistine Chapel	146