Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born on the 6th of March 1475, in the Republic of Florence in modern day Italy. During his childhood he learned to cut stone and at the age of 13 he was apprenticed to the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio. When he was just 15 years old he attended the Humanist academy founded by the famous de Medici family, and his career began to take off. At the age of 21 Michelangelo headed to Rome where he received a commission for a Pietà - a sculpture showing the Virgin Mary grieving over the body of Jesus. This is a subject he returned to again in later life... Show more

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born on the 6th of March 1475, in the Republic of Florence in modern day Italy. During his childhood he learned to cut stone and at the age of 13 he was apprenticed to the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio. When he was just 15 years old he attended the Humanist academy founded by the famous de Medici family, and his career began to take off.

At the age of 21 Michelangelo headed to Rome where he received a commission for a Pietà - a sculpture showing the Virgin Mary grieving over the body of Jesus. This is a subject he returned to again in later life as his own death drew nearer.

Michelangelo returned to Florence in 1499 where he remained for 6 years. During this time he created his most famous sculpture, David. Then, in 1505 Michelangelo returned to Rome after he received a commission to create a tomb for Pope Julius II. He was also tasked with painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This became the most famous of all his paintings and it took him four years to complete.

Michelangelo died in Rome on the 8th of February 1564 and is buried at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence.  Remembered mostly for his sculptures, he was also a painter, an architect, a poet, and an engineer; a true Renaissance man. 

Show less

Renaissance Sculptors: Michelangelo

Time left 00:00

10 Questions

1. Cristo della Minerva is the second version of this statue to be created by Michelangelo. Why did he abandon the first version?

Because the commissioner of the work did not like the originalBecause he accidentally knocked off the statue's noseBecause he discovered a black vein in the block of white marble he was using

2. Crouching Boy is a work which appears to be unfinished as the figure seems to be stuck in the block of stone it is sculpted from. What is the name of this intentional effect used by Michelangelo?

Emergentes (emerging)Adhaesit (stuck)Non Finite (not finished)

3. The Deposition (also known as The Florence Pietà) was begun when Michelangelo was 73 years old and was intended to be a part of which structure?

Michelangelo's tombVenice CathedralThe Tower of PisaThe Trevi Fountain

4. Michelangelo is said to have created this figure of Christ whilst he was a guest at the Santa Maria del Santo Spirito convent when he was what age?

17 years old15 years old13 years old

5. Michelangelo was still working on this unfinished piece just days before he died. How old was he when he passed away?

68 years old78 years old58 years old88 years old

6. Crouching Boy is a work which appears to be unfinished as the figure seems to be stuck in the block of stone it is sculpted from. What is the name of this intentional effect used by Michelangelo?

Emergentes (emerging)Adhaesit (stuck)Non Finite (not finished)

7. This sculpture is thought by many to be Michelangelo's greatest work. It is a statue of which biblical figure?

Saint PeterAbrahamSaint PaulDavid

8. This bust, thought to have been inspired by the political machinations of the de Medici family, is of which ancient Roman?

BrutusAugustus CaesarJulius Caesar

9. Michelangelo was still working on this unfinished piece just days before he died. How old was he when he passed away?

68 years old78 years old58 years old88 years old

10. This bust, thought to have been inspired by the political machinations of the de Medici family, is of which ancient Roman?

Julius CaesarBrutusAugustus Caesar