Cristoforo Solari (attributed to)

A Day in the Life

The Renaissance

This sculpture was made during a time period often referred to as the Renaissance, a flourishing of the arts and learning in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. It coincided with a renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman culture. The art from the period often features the human form in an idealized way. You can also see the influence of classical forms in architecture, which employed Greek and Roman components such as columns, arches, and domes. At the same time, the Catholic Church continued to be a major patron of the arts, and Christian figures and stories were common subject matter.

Although the Renaissance happened across Europe, a focal point was Italy. The city-states of Italy were very wealthy from specialized production and trade, and this enabled their leaders to patronize the arts and scholarship. There was significant trade with the Ottoman Empire. For example, textiles form Florence were in high demand because they held their color due to alum dye. This alum came from Anatolia in Turkey, creating a cycle of trade. However, in 1460 alum deposits were discovered in Italy by Giovanni di Castro. The pope gave a monopoly of mining rights to the Medici family, who became patrons to some of the most important artists of the Renaissance. Trade with the Ottoman Empire was also an important factor in the rediscovery of Greek and Roman learning, because Muslim scholars had preserved and studied many of these writings for centuries.

So it is not quite accurate to talk about the Renaissance like it was a specific thing. Why not? It was not an event that can be dated to a particular time or place, like other historical events. Also, it was only experienced by a small minority of affluent people. The idea of the Renaissance emerged over time as something that matters to us today; we view it as a period that symbolizes things we value, such as individualism. The idea of the death and rebirth of Greco-Roman culture in Europe is an appealing story, but this simplifies what really happened. Many of the discoveries and ideas from this time are very important, but they happened over hundreds of years. The Renaissance, then, was not a single thing, but many interrelated things over centuries.

Tools and Techniques

Behind the Scenes

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Change Your Perspective

Do the arms on this figure look a little thin? This sculpture was originally meant to be seen from below, and may have been part of an altarpiece, a tomb, or a doorway. If you look at the sculpture from below, you can see how the artist has carefully angled Christ’s head and carved the arms so that the total figure appears in proportion when viewed from this standpoint.

Why are the arms missing? This was part of a larger sculpture including the figure of Christ accompanied on either side by other figures, most likely angels, but possibly Mary and Saint John.

Just for Kids

Imagine!

Do you notice something missing from the dead Christ? This relief is a small section of a larger sculpture. Christ’s arms and other figures are missing. Similar images often show Christ with his mother Mary and other saints or between two angels. What do you think would have been there?

Sketch the sculpture, but add the missing details. Include what you think is missing.

Signs & Symbols

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Arts Intersected

Music of the Renaissance

Step into the Italian Renaissance with music composed about the same time that this sculpture was made. Listen as Lawrence Pitzer—member of the Dayton-based Wind in the Woods Early Music Ensemble—performs the song “Ricercare,” an anonymous 16th-century Italian song from the Siena Lute Book.

For more information on performances and recordings by Wind in the Woods, please visit http://www.windinthewoodsearlymusic.com.

The Sculpture Speaks

Did You Know?

As Good as Michelangelo?

This sculpture is attributed to Christoforo Solari, although this is only based on similarities to work that is signed by Solari. Solari, known by the nickname “il Gobbo” (“the hunchback”), was a sculptor from Milan, in the northern Italian region of Lombardy.

What is the connection between Solari and Michelangelo? Giorgio Vasari (1511–1574), a biographer of Michelangelo and other Italian artists, reported the following story about why Michelangelo signed his name on the front of his famous Pietà sculpture, which you can see in the image below:

This is the only work he ever signed. Michelangelo had happened to find a large group of strangers from Lombardy looking at the Pietà one day. They were admiring it and one said that the artist was ‘Our Hunchback of Milan.’ Michelangelo came back that night with a lantern and carved Michelangelo Buonarroti where all could see.

Quoted in Giorgio Vasari, Lives of the Artists, translated by George Bull (New York: Penguin, 1988).

Michelangelo Buonarroti (Italian, 1475–1564), Pietà, 1498–1499, marble, 68 ½ x 76 ¾ inches. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City (artwork in the public domain; photograph provided by Wikimedia Commons).

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