Last week art historians and restorers went to Spain to view a sculpture which might have been made by Michelangelo himself, according to the New York Times. The work, entitled "San Giovannino," depicts St. John the Baptist in his youth and has been fiercely debated within art communities. It's the guy on the right.
A mysterious statue appeared at the Holy Chapel of the Savior in fragments. The work had been damaged in the Spanish Civil War but it was reconstructed with a 20-year restoration process. It was noted that the work was similar to other Michelangelo works like his famous work "Bacchus." This caused inspired art historians to look into the history of the work. Biographers say Michelangelo made a "San Giovanno" for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de Medici in 1496, which was never found.
Then a Spanish historian named Manuel Gómez Moreno said in 1930 that the sculpture could have been made by the influential artist. But a lot of academics and critics don't agree, feeling that the work is unlike the Italian artist's other works. Michelangelo scholar Frank Zöllner says the eyes and mouth look too flat and the nails are "less strong" than Michelangelo's other works. He also notes that the artist didn't sign his name on the work.
If you have the money to travel and you want to see it for yourself, the sculpture will be on display in the Holy Chapel of the Savior in Úbeda, Spain, after it comes back from Florence.
[viaHuffingtonPost / NYTimes]
