The Restoration of the ‘Bandini Pieta’ Completed and On Display in Florence

Italian sculptor, painter, and architect of the High Renaissance period, Michelangelo, sculpted one of his last pieces, Bandini Pieta between 1547 and 1555. Just recently, the sculpture has experienced a major restoration, the first true restoration since the artist’s death in 1564. The restoration started in November 2019 but stopped a few times due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bandini Pieta is one of the many pieces of Michelangelo’s that focus on the death of Jesus Christ. This unfinished piece specifically portrays the deceased body of Christ in the arms of his mother, Mary. Next to Mary is Nicodemus, who helped Magdalene lay Jesus down from the cross. A popular belief is that Nicodemus is a self-portrait of Michelangelo, which explains why he takes on the form of an older man.

The restoration involved the removal of dust, plaster, and wax that built up on the surface of the sculpture, causing it to diminish the external appearance. The restorers learned that the marble used to create this masterpiece had several tiny cracks in it, a common trait found in defective marble. They inferred that the defective marble could explain why Michelangelo stopped working on it.

The Bandini Pieta is on display at the Florence’s Opera Museum as a monument for Michelangelo’s tomb. Michelangelo’s most famous Pieta can be found at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, while the Rondanini Pieta sits in the Sforza Castle of Milan.

— Mahogany Brim