Michelangelo and His World: Sculpture of the Italian Renaissance

By the time Michelangelo died in 1564 in his house in Rome (where he lived rather modestly despite his fame and Medici commissions), his powerful narrative realism and secular treatment of the idealized human body had liberated a generation of Italian sculptors. Among those featured in this book are adventurer-[poet Benvenuto Cellini, Florentine master Giovanni Rustici, ordained priest Giovanni Montorsoli and the underrated Pierino da Vinci (nephew of Leonardo). A new humanism animated works such as Jacopo Sansovino's bronze statue of Peace torching a helmet and suit of armor and Tullio Lombardo's serene marble Adam. This erudite, fresh overview of Italian sculpture of the late Renaissance by University of Dusseldorf art historian Poeschke features 52 full-page color plates and 347 halftones with commentaries, plus an introductory essay and biographical profiles of 20 sculptors. Among the many works of extraordinary power and grace are Baccio Bandinelli's Hercules and Cacus and Michelangelo's David, Bearded Slave and The Risen Christ. Its comprehensive coverage and outstanding plates make this an indispensable reference. (May)