La prima architettura di Michelangelo

La casa in Borgo Pinti a Firenze

Abstract

This article investigates the aborted project for Michelangelo’s house in the Via Laura (today Via della Colonna), to be built at the expense of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore as partial payment for the Apostles cycle for the cathedral commissioned from the artist. Designed in collaboration with Simone del Pollaiolo called Il Cronaca, the house also marks the sculptor’s first involvement with architecture. By studying a significant number of unpublished or scarcely investigated documents, the aim is to establish the construction history of Michelangelo’s residence, his participation in its design, and its precise location, size, and architectural characteristics. Although the artist eventually abandoned the project after having obtained the patronage of Pope Julius II, the reconstruction of this episode allows us to better understand his social ambitions and to envision how he acquired his knowledge about the art of building that would later enable his career as an architect.