Pietà Rondanini: curiosità ed enigmi

The 196 cm high sculpture - now very famous - was found in Michelangelo Buonarroti's house in Rome soon after his death (1564) and was described as a "Christ with another figure attached together". Shortly thereafter, it disappeared into oblivion, only to reappear in the inventory of the assets of Marquis Giuseppe Rondanini (his actual surname was Rondinini), drawn up in 1806 in his palace on Via del Corso in Rome, following his death in 1801. On that occasion, the sculptor charged with cataloging all the pieces in the Marquis's collection described the "Pietà" as "attributed to Michelangelo, but it is known to be a misunderstanding." What was he talking about? What ambiguous circumstance was he referring to? On the base of the statue are two inscriptions: one is made up of a series of capital letters, and the other, added in 1857, declares it to be the Pietà by Michelangelo Buonarroti. At that time, however, the time had not yet come to draw attention, until something happened and the work began to arouse growing interest, which soon became exacerbated, so much so that it was even contested by Foreign institutions. After its purchase by the City of Milan (with state participation) in 1952, the "Pieta Rondanini" has been extensively studied, analyzed, and documented, and is currently the focus of a museum created specifically for it in 2015, located in the former Spanish Hospital of Milan's Castello Sforzesco. This museum also houses the beautiful Roman altar on which the statuary group rested for over a century (from 1911 to 2015), with very brief interludes when it was considered for placing it on two other types of pedestals (little known to the general public, who now have the opportunity to learn about its origins). The sculpture currently rests on a modern plinth designed with anti-seismic technology to protect it from the vibrations of the subway below. Experts agree that it represents a sculptural masterpiece, the last work of Michelangelo's long life. In addition to the marvelous "Pietà" created in his youth and located in St. Peter's in the Vatican, he labored tirelessly on other Pietàs in his final years (such as the "Bandini Pietà," now in Florence, and this one in Milan). However, there are some dissenting voices. So let's go see it—or rather, revisit it (because we were able to visit it in its previous location)—through today's eyes. This video is simply a pause for reflection on the available historical data and the questions the work raises, which, when viewed from the perspective of the artist, seem outweighed by its evocative power.