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Friday, December 12, 2008

Cristo della Minerva



One of the things I noticed when watching the video of Andrea Bocelli singing Panis Angelicus was a statue in the background. I remembered having seen it on the cover of Gustaf Aulen's book, Christus Victor, and so looked it up. It's Cristo della Minerva, sometimes known of as Christ the Redeemer, by Michelangelo. It has an interesting history, according to Wikipedia ...

The work was commissioned in June 1514, by the Roman patrician Metello Vari, who stipulated only that the nude standing figure would have the Cross in his arms, but left the composition entirely to Michelangelo ..... Michelangelo was working on a first version of this statue in his shop in Macello dei Corvi around 1515, but abandoned it in roughed-out condition when he discovered a black vein in the white marble ...... A new version was hurriedly substituted in 1519-1520 to fulfil the terms of the contract. Michelangelo worked on it in Florence, and the move to Rome and final touches were entrusted to an apprentice, Pietro Urbano: the latter, however, damaged the work and was replaced by Federico Frizzi after a suggestion from Sebastiano del Piombo..... The first version, rough as it was, was asked for by Metello Vari, and given him in January 1522, for the little garden courtyard of his palazzetto near Santa Maria sopra Minerva ..... following which it was utterly lost to sight. In 2000 Irene Baldriga recognized the lost first version, extensively reworked in the seventeenth century, in the sacristy of the church of San Vincenzo Martire, at Basso Romano near Viterbo; the black vein is clearly distinguishable on Christ's left cheek ....

It's the second version that's in Santa Maria sopra Minerva ....




5 Comments:

Blogger Jeff said...

Beautiful sculpture! Somehow we missed that when we were in Rome, and I regret it, but there was so much to see and so little time.

I remember that from the cover of Auden's book too. I'd like to read that, and also 'The Nonviolent Atonement' by Denny Weaver (Mennonite).

5:43 AM  
Blogger victor said...

For what it’s worth Crystal, this is what I think of this subject has of today.

I guess it all eventually comes down to "Respect" and "IT's" Consequences of testing our Jesus, Victor, Lord and Redeemer!

Michelangelo abandoned his work when he discovered a black vein in the white marble and for some reasons it was never completed.

Leave "IT" to our generations to muster enough courage and guts to complete what was originally started and not originally spiritually agreed upon.

I've got to hand it to the creator of this new statue cause at least "IT's" peter was covered Up.

I wonder if any of sinner vic's virgins were ever infested by spiritual Victor's peter?

In your dreams sinner vic!

One body has many cells and/or ions and so to make a long story short sinner vic, thinking with your peter will not cut the spiritual mustard seed so get behind me Satan. :)

God Bless,

Peace.

9:27 AM  
Blogger crystal said...

Jeff,

I missed it too the one time I was there. We really only saw the Vatican museum. The Nonviolent Atonement sounds interesting.

11:00 AM  
Anonymous MC said...

I was in Rome with my mother and we just happened to go into the Santa Maria sopra Minerva on our way to the Pantheon. The Cristo della Minerva is fantastic. There were less then 10 people in the whole church, and we walked around and studied the beautiful artwork in the church in complete silence. When we came upon the Christ statue is was breathtaking! To be so close to a Michelangelo makes his work even MORE impressive.
A must see if you go to Rome.

9:01 PM  
Blogger crystal said...

MC,

Thanks for the comment. It is so exciting to see art like that. The one time I did go to Rome, it was like my art history class had come to life.

12:29 AM  

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