2023-11-15 12:15:33
Forgotten for several decades, this space is full of charcoal sketches drawn on the walls by the master of the Second Renaissance which will be exhibited to the public from this Wednesday, November 15.
An unusual and historic place opens its doors in Florence this Wednesday. Known as Michelangelo’s “secret room”, this room, which until 1955 served as a former coal cellar in the depths of the Medici Chapels, will be made accessible to the public for the first time from November 15 .
In this ten by three meter space, the second Renaissance master Michelangelo drew numerous charcoal sketches on the walls while he was hiding from the angry Pope Clement VII.
The place was then “unused, sealed and forgotten for decades under a trapdoor covered with cabinets and furniture” before being rediscovered in 1975, the museum said in a statement.
Sketches by Michelangelo in his “secret chamber” opened to the public for the first time on November 15 in Florence. © Francesco Fantani / National Museum of Bargello / AFP
Clement VII “furious” against Michelangelo
Former director of the Medici Chapels, the art historian Paolo Dal Poggetto, attributed numerous sketches discovered to Michelangelo Buonarroti, best known for his statue of David and the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican.
Dal Poggetto believed that Michelangelo hid from Pope Clement VII in this room for two months in 1530 because the pontiff, a member of the Medici family, was “furious” with him.
The artist had served as supervisor of the city’s fortifications during the short-lived Republican government (1527-1530), when the Medici were driven from the city.
“The drawings, still studied by art critics, were made during the artist’s period of self-confinement, using the walls of the small room to sketch some of his projects,” the museum said.
A “truly unique” place
Curator Francesca de Luca said the space was “truly unique because of its exceptional evocative potential.” “Its walls seem to be full of numerous character sketches, many of them monumental in size,” she explains in the press release.
“These are accompanied by studies, varying between in-depth and superficial scans, capturing body details, facial features and unusual poses.”
Starting November 15, small groups of no more than four people per tour will be allowed entry at a time, with breaks between each tour to limit the amount of time sketches are exposed to LED light.
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