Michelangelo's Florence "Pieta" [Hardcover]

Jack Wasserman (Author), Aurelio Amendola (Photographer), Franca Trinchieri Camiz (Contributor), Timothy Verdon (Contributor), Peter Rockwell (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2002

A thorough and revealing study of one of Michelangelo's most beautiful, dramatic, and debated works of art: the Florence Pieta. The artist designed the monumental statue late in life for his own tomb, but after a decade of intermittent labour he badly damaged the work, which was later repaired by an assistant. Jack Wasserman, the book's editor and main author, enlists the expertise of scholars Timothy Verdon and Franca Trinchieri Camiz, sculptor Peter Rockwell, and three teams of scientists to understand a work of extraordinary emotional power. By examining all aspects of the statue's depiction of Christ and of his physical relationship to the other figures, especially the Virgin, this book brings to life Michelangelo's great struggle to give conclusive form to his own relationship to God - a relationship unmistakably reflected in the artist's representation of himself as the bearded man supporting Christ. Wasserman reaches a striking conclusion about why Michelangelo mutilated the statue, a conclusion sure to inspire lively debate. He seeks to resolve a host of other questions such as: What religious message did Michelangelo seek to convey? Is the Pieta a "pieta" at all? As all lo

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Michelangelo produced three sculptures of the Madonna holding the dead Christ in her lap, called the Pieta. The first (1498-99) is at St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. The second (ca.1550) is at the Museo Civico in Milan. The third, called the Florence Pieta and the subject of this exciting book, was started about 1550. Michelangelo worked on it for several years, attacked it one day with hammer and chisel, was stopped by a servant, and never touched it again. Later repaired, the Pieta passed through many hands until it ended up in the Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, the subject of many long-raging controversies about why Michelangelo tried to destroy this beautiful work of art. Art historian Wasserman now analyzes numerous documentary studies and conducts a remarkably thorough physical examination of the Florence Pieta, including a gamma-ray scan of its interior, even using a virtual computerized model, which allows him to view the piece in ways that would be impossible in real life, all in an effort to replace speculation with fact. Utterly absorbing, this book sets new standards in art historical scholarship. Victor Cassidy
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

An unusually suspenseful piece of historical scholarship . . . [that] probes Michelangelo's intentions for this sculpture. -- Hilarie M. Sheets , New York Times Book Review

I cannot speak too highly of this book, and I congratulate the contributors on the exemplary art historical and technical partnership it represents. . . . The book does not pretend to be the last work on the Pietà, but it would be difficult to imagine such a book being superseded for many years. . . . The images included are, almost without exception, astonishing. -- Review

Unique, inter-disciplinary study of a major but perplexing work of art . . . [with] broad scope and closely argued detail. -- Brain Tovey, Art Newspape

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (November 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691016216
• ISBN-13: 978-0691016214
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,737,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for Michelangelo fans, January 7, 2003

By 

Brian D., Hodges (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Michelangelo's Florence "Pieta" (Hardcover)

...or actually art fans in general. If you have even a passing interest in art, or Michelangelo, this book is a must.

For starters, it is an amazing book. The photography is beautiful (if you ever wanted to view this sculpture from every conceivable angle, this is your book!) and the essays are well-written and informative.

If that wasn't enough, we get treated to an amazing CD-ROM which details the "virtual" sculpture project. Its fascinating and a very well-put-together multimedia item.

I had the distinct fortune of seeing this sculpture with my own eyes, and while absolutely nothing can compare to seeing the original, this book comes very close.

Jack Wasserman and the staff from IBM Research have done a great service to this masterpiece. I'm sure Michelangelo would've approved. Here's hoping they apply this to other treasures from the art world.

Highly recommended.