Introduction

This piece came right towards the end of Michelangelo's career, and the sculptor saw The Deposition as a passion project, pouring his heart and soul into the work as a means to keep his ageing mind occupied and motivated. Michelangelo had, of course, proved himself many times over across his lifetime and was also financially secure, enabling him to devote long nights to an uncommissioned sculpture, seeking to challenge himself for perhaps the very last time.

The long lifecycle of this piece, around eight years, is explained by a number of factors. Firstly, Michelangelo was initially producing the sculpture for himself, and so there was no deadline looking that might otherwise have forced him to be more disciplined with his approach to completing The Deposition a little earlier. Additionally, he would often be pulled into other projects, even late in his career, and so he would take extended breaks from most projects from time to time.

Michelangelo had addressed religious content within his oeuvre throughout his lifetime, and had mastered the art form of sculpture as early as his twenties, but this statue still offers us something new within his career. The stories around its production also gives us a further insight into the man himself, as he was a notoriously difficult personality who demanded perfection from any artwork that left his studio.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Description
  3. Meaning
  4. Michelangelo's Frustration with the Sculpture
  5. Famous Deposition Paintings and Sculptures
  6. Timeline
  7. Size, Medium and Location of The Deposition (The Florentine Pietà)

Description

Michelangelo's The Deposition features four figures carved from a huge piece of marble which stands at nearly three metres in height. We find the body of Christ slumped in the foreground, and he is joined by two figures either side who appear to be trying to support his body, with their arms outstretched. A tall, hooded elderly man stands behind, looking down on Christ who appears lifeless. There are clearly enough details within this piece to confidently place it within Michelangelo's religious oeuvre, but the precise theme meaning continues to be debated today.

The Figures of the Deposition

On the right of the sculpture, from the angle indicated in the image, we find the Virgin Mary. She holds Jesus close, whilst being left in a state of total desolation. She rests Jesus' head against her own, and this proximity is symbolic of their love. She holds her left arm out to support Jesus' weight, and is sat besides him as he slumps towards the ground. The surface work on the Virgin Mary is relatively rough, particularly in comparison to the smooth finish of Jesus, but much of her detail can still be made out. She is wearing a full length robe, with a hood over the top. Her facial features are only loosely applied.

To the left hand side we find the smoother, more complete female figure of Mary Magdalene. She is dwarfed by Christ besides her, and crucially does not share quite the same emotional distress as seen in the Virgin Mary. Her mood appears somewhat more distant and neutral, even as she too holds her arm out to support the lifeless body of Christ. She wears a simply dress of light cloth, and her face is actually turned away from the other figures in the sculpture. An item of jewellery, perhaps significantly, depicts a human face and is placed just above her forehead. This figure has been smoothed out entirely and offers considerable symbolic and technical contrast to the Virgin Mary on the opposing flank of the piece.

Centrally, we find Christ collapsing to the floor. His lifeless body is contorted, with his head leaning heavily to the right as Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary attempt to hold him up. Christ's body appears to be that of a starved man, with no discernable muscle on his legs, for example. His rib cage shows through his skin, and this figure is nothing like the toned, beautiful male figures that became the hallmark of Michelangelo's sculptures and drawings. We pity Christ in this representation, and gain an understanding of the turmoil that he must have experienced leading up to this sad moment.

At the back of this piece, known by many as The Deposition, we find a tall, strong figure in the form of a hooded, elderly man. His appearance from the chest downwards is blocked out by the other figures, but his presence feels highly significant because of the manner in which Michelangelo has depicted him. He looks downwards, with his gaze focused on both Jesus and the Virgin Mary, and he appears emotionally strong, but also sad at how events have unfolded. Most debates regarding this sculpture have centered around this elderly man's identity, as that would explain the religious inspiration behind the entire work.

Meaning

The majority of scholars believe that the tall elderly figure at the back of this sculpture represents either Joseph of Arimathea or Nicodemus. If either is true, then this completes the content needed for a depiction of The Deposition, making it the most likely theme being displayed here.

What is The Deposition?

The Deposition is a term in Christianity which refers to the descent from the cross, as Jesus Christ is pulled down after his crucifixion. It is a scene which appeared regularly within the Italian Renaissance, both as paintings and sculptures. Within the artwork displayed here, we find Christ being supported as his body remains lifeless. Gravity attempts to pull him to the ground but his loved ones hope to soften his landing, in a loving, emotional gesture.

The movement of Christ's body downwards, the appearance of his emaciated body, as well as the specific identities of the three figures who crowd around him in desperation, would all seem to suggest that this is, indeed, a representation of The Deposition. The nature of this project, as uncommissioned, and worked on in a private capacity, leaves very little documentation around regarding its true purpose and meaning, which has led to a number of other theories being put forward over the past few centuries.

Alternative Theories

Alternatively, some term this piece as The Florentine Pietà, signifying how other scholars believe it to be another return by Michelangelo to the religious theme of Pieta. Clearly the descent from the cross and Pieta are closely related, but typically the latter will only include Virgin Mary with Christ's body. Michelangelo's sculpture conveys the sadness in her heart as she holds Christ, but she is joined by others in this piece and there is a feeling of the weight of Christ's body moving in a downwards direction.

A less likely suggestion is that Christ is being carried off to his tomb, as also regularly featured in Renaissance art. With this theory, much depends on the identity of the tale male figure at the back, in order for the sculpture to fit with the related Bible passage. One supporting piece of evidence is in the cold facial expression of Mary Magdalene, which may have been because Christ had already passed some time earlier, giving her time to accept events.

A smaller band of scholars have floated the idea of potentially all of the three narratives being merged together within this one sculpture. It feels unlikely that Michelangelo would have wanted to work in such a vague manner, and would have been inconsistent with the rest of his career.

Michelangelo's Frustration with the Sculpture

Sadly, Michelangelo grew in frustration with The Deposition over time, and eventually attacked the piece violently, for reasons that are still debated today. Despite being known for his desire of perfection, and also having a confrontational, unfriendly demeanor, it still seems extraordinary that he would deliberately damage a sculpture on which he would work for around eight years. Perhaps it was this considerable length of time that in fact caused some of this anger, with Michelangelo seemingly unable to ever finish off this uncommissioned piece.

It may also have been possible that Michelangelo no-longer liked the composition and style of the piece, and believed it too late to make the necessary amendments. With eight years having passed since he originally planned the piece, it is not impossible that his own tastes changed. The nature of sculpture makes amendments of this magnitude much harder even than with an oil painting, building a level of frustration in the ageing Michelangelo.

Thankfully, a later owner of the piece arranged for the damage to be repaired and much of the work was completed from other work by Michelangelo, ensuring a relatively accurate solution.

Famous Deposition Paintings and Sculptures

The Deposition, or Descent from the Cross, was particularly common in Baroque art, where the emotions inherent within it seemed entirely suitable for that style of painting. Some examples of that are included below, with Rubens and Rembrandt both visiting this topic several times within their career, as well as making a number of drawn studies related to it. Raphael, who was obviously based closer to Michelangelo than those North European masters, would also contribute his own version at around the same time as Michelangelo's sculpture.

Descent from the Cross Peter Paul Rubens
Descent from the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens
The Descent from the Cross Rembrandt
The Descent from the Cross by Rembrandt
The Deposition Raphael
The Deposition by Raphael

Timeline

The vast majority of scholars place The Deposition right at the end of Michelangelo's career (1547-1555). It is likely to have been the penultimate sculpture on which he worked, with preparation for his Rondanini Pietà not commencing until around 1552, with the piece eventually being completed in 1564. Michelangelo lost interest in The Deposition for reasons that continue to be debated today and his level of frustation with it led to him even damaging part of the work, and ultimately abandoning it with the final touches left to be carried out. See below for a rough timeline of his sculptures in the late part of his career.

  • 1530 - Apollo
  • 1530–1534 - Crouching Boy
  • 1519-1520 - Christ Carrying the Cross
  • 1538 - Brutus
  • 1547–1553 - The Deposition
  • 1552–1564 - Rondanini Pietà

Size, Medium and Location of The Deposition (The Florentine Pietà)

Michelangelo's The Deposition was made from a single piece of marble, and he worked on it between the years of 1547–1555. The sculpture is today located at the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in the famous Italian city of Florence, where the artist achieved so much of his success. The piece stands at an imposing 277 cm in height, making it larger than life-scale.

Image Credit

Michelangelo Pieta Firenze, 1547–1553 by Michelangelo, Pietà by Michelangelo in Opera del Duomo Museum Museo in Florence, Italy Firenze; user: /MM, uploaded by Hans-Juergen Luntzer~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography