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ichelangelo was to come back to the Pieta theme almost fifty years later. He worked from 1547 to 1555 on the "Pieta of the Dome of Florence", which is composed around the dead Christ, the Virgin, Mary of Magdalene, and a fourth character, either Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea, who appears to be supporting both Mary and her son.

he fact that Michelangelo represented himself in the features of this fourth character - one of only two known self-portraits by him - the fact that he introduced himself so intimately into the passion of Christ and his mother, and that he intended this work for his own tomb ; these facts speak volumes about how deeply and intensely this theme resonated within him.

he sculpture was never to be finished. Michelangelo smashed it, furious at the imperfections in the marble. The block, Vasari tells us, contained chips of emery which caused sparks under the chisel. Christ's left leg, which was broken off, is lost, and on his left arm, badly repaired, the marks of the blows are still visible.

ne of the master's disciples, Tiberio Calcagni, took it upon himself to restore the statue, but unfortunately, he also began to rework it, giving to Mary of Magdalene's face a conventional mask which clashes with the strength of expression in the other characters...

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