BRIEF OVERVIEW ON THE RISEN CHRIST CARRYING THE CROSS GIUSTINIANI

The Federico II Foundation presents Michelangelo’s Risen Christ Carrying the Cross Giustiniani as part of the cultural program of the Royal Palace of Palermo. This is a tribute of the highest scholarly caliber for all visitors to the Royal Apartments, located in an area that leads to the Sicilian Parliament and evokes the significance of Michelangelo through the Maqueda Courtyard—a clear example of the Renaissance legacy of the Tuscan ‘Master.’

Brief Comparison Between Michelangelo and Ancient Art

The comparison between Michelangelo and ancient art is a recurring theme in the art criticism of the 16th and 17th centuries. Michelangelo was already regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time, although his art was considered refined and Mannerist in style, and therefore lacking the naturalness of classical art. A well-known anecdote recounts that Michelangelo refused to restore the Adonis- Meleager because it was too far removed from his own artistic ideal of beauty, a standard to be used as a representative key to his thought. The tradition that Michelangelo deemed the legs of the Farnese Hercules, restored by Guglielmo della Porta, superior to the original ones—though probably apocryphal— nonetheless reflects the perception of an age that saw in Michelangelo an artist capable of emulating and even surpassing the art of antiquity.

‘Grace’ in Art According to Vincenzo Giustiniani’s Theory

Vincenzo Giustiniani, a 17th-century art collector and critic, developed an interesting theory on ‘grace’ in art. According to him, grace was a quality that could not be achieved through technique and artistic knowledge alone, but also required a certain naturalness and spontaneity. In his comparison between Michelangelo’s Christ and the Adonis-Meleager, Giustiniani argues that the Christ, despite its beauty and perfection, lacks the grace and naturalness that characterize ancient art. This theory of grace proved to be influential in 17th-century art criticism.

Historical Overview of the Giustiniani Christ

The Giustiniani Christ is a Carrara marble statue depicting the risen Christ carrying the cross, created by Michelangelo between 1514 and 1516 on commission from Metello Vari for the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. However, due to a black vein on Christ’s face, Michelangelo abandoned the work, considering it incomplete and, above all, no longer suitable according to the patron’s standards.

 Discovery and Attribution

The statue was rediscovered in 1997 by Silvia Danesi Squarzina and Irene Baldriga, scholars at the University of La Sapienza in Rome, who attributed it to Michelangelo. This attribution has been confirmed by subsequent studies and analyses.

 The History of the Statue

After being abandoned by Michelangelo, the statue is said to have been completed by an anonymous sculptor in the 17th century, who added a loincloth to cover Christ’s nudity. In 1644, the statue was moved to the then Church of Saint Vincent Martyr in Bassano Romano (today the Sanctuary of the Holy Face), where it remained until 2001, when it was exhibited in Rome for the exhibition ‘Caravaggio and the Giustiniani: Experiencing a 17th-Century Collection.’

 Artistic and Cultural Significance

The Giustiniani Christ is considered one of the masterpieces of Renaissance sculpture and represents an important example of Michelangelo’s art. Its history and attribution have generated great interest among both scholars and the general public.

Giovan Battista Scaduto

Federico II Foundation