''The Punishment of Tityus'' is a drawing by the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

artist

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

Description

The drawing shows the mythical figure Tityus tied down on a large rock; on the top of the rock seems to be some kind of plant or

tree trunk In botany, the trunk (or bole) is the stem and main wooden axis of a tree, which is an important feature in tree identification, and which often differs markedly from the bottom of the trunk to the top, depending on the species. The trunk is the ...

with roots. The trunk appears to have a human face in profile its his mouth fully open as if in a scream. The rock is the only indication of a location as the foreground and background remain blank except for a horizon line. The body of Tityus is twisted with his head back while his right arm is tied above his head and his left arm is assumed to be tied by his hip because the actual hand is not visible; Tityus's right leg lies flat while his left leg is up in a right-degree angle. Above Tityus is a

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

that is the about the size of a human. The vulture leans over the twisted body of Tityus with its wing almost fully extended on both sides and its head inching closer to the midsection of Tityus.

Tommaso dei Cavalieri

The ''Tityus'' drawing is one of several presentation drawings that Michelangelo gave to

Tommaso dei Cavalieri Tommaso dei Cavalieri (—1587) was an Italian nobleman, who was the object of the greatest expression of Michelangelo's love. Michelangelo was 57 years old when he met Cavalieri in 1532. The young noble was exceptionally handsome, and his appear ...

. Cavalieri was a young Roman noble who became a very close friend to Michelangelo from 1532 up until Michelangelo's death in 1564. The relationship between the two men has been scrutinized by scholars because of the large volume of correspondence between them. Michelangelo wrote many letters to Cavalieri along with poetry and the previously mentioned drawings. In the many

sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention, ...

s he wrote to Cavalieri, Michelangelo referred to the "immeasurable love" that he carried for young nobleman; he even used Cavalieri's name in a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophonic ...

to describe his affections stating, "I am held prisoner by an armed Cavalier".

Possible homoeroticism

The drawings Michelangelo created for Cavalieri were complete and finished works of art. Michelangelo gave him the first set of drawings in 1532. This grouping is made up of the drawings Tityus and Ganymede. Scholars have interpreted the two drawings in this grouping to have

homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be temporary, whereas "homose ...

undertones. For example, the character of Tityus from mythology tried to rape

Leto In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Leto (; grc-gre, Λητώ , ''Lētṓ'', or , ''Lātṓ'' in Ancient Greek dialects#Provenance, Doric Greek) is a goddess and the mother of Apollo, the god of music, and Artemis ...

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

's mother. For his punishment, Tityus was chained to a rock in

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

so that two vultures could eternally peck out his

liver The liver is a major Organ (anatomy), organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for ...

. In this framework, the drawing could be interpreted as a representation of pining and a love that will never be realized. Since the liver is continuously pecked out only to grow back again for all of

eternity Eternity, in common parlance, means Infinity, infinite time that never ends or the quality, condition, or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside time, whereas ...

and the liver is often referred to as the "seat of the passions", the scene could refer to Michelangelo's unrequited love for Cavalieri.Hibbard, ''Michelangelo'', 235. A similar homoerotic interpretation could be made for the Ganymede drawing. In

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

, Ganymede was a

cupbearer A cup-bearer was historically an officer of high rank in royal courts, whose duty was to pour and serve the drinks at the royal table. On account of the constant fear of plots and intrigues (such as poisoning), a person must have been regarded as ...

for

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

. Zeus fell into such lust for the young cupbearer that he took on the form of an eagle to sweep Ganymede off to

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...

to be with him. In this context, Ganymede could represent the young Cavalieri and the

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

could represent the mature and overpowering Michelangelo. The scene could be a visual representation of Michelangelo's physical desire for Cavalieri. It would make sense that Michelangelo would use such drawings, sonnets and letters to profess his affections because of the social stigma attached to

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

. Even though

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

did have a prevalent homosexual community, Michelangelo's faith would not allow him to be open about his feeling for the young nobleman. Also, Michelangelo had been accused numerous times of having affairs with other young men. The homoerotic drawings could have been a way for Michelangelo to express his feelings out of the public eye and away from

gossip Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling. Gossip is a topic of research in evolutionary psychology, which has found gossip to be an important means ...

Possible drawing aids

Another interpretation of this group of drawings is that they were

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to ...

and created for the purposes of teaching Cavalieri how to draw. This interpretation stems from a comment from

Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...

that Cavalieri was given these works "because he was learning to draw". Also, on the back of the ''Tityus'' drawing, the figure of Tityus has been redrawn into a representation of the

Risen Christ The resurrection of Jesus ( grc-x-biblical, ἀνάστασις τοῦ Ἰησοῦ) is the Christian belief that God raised Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion, starting – or restoring – his exalted life as Christ and Lord. ...

. It was originally thought that Michelangelo had done the tracing on the back but some scholars now think that the Risen Christ was completed by Cavalieri as a drawing exercise. Cavalieri's hand has been more readily identifiable due to the discovery of several drawing by him including a copy of the ''Fall of Phaeton'', which was another presentation drawing given to him by Michelangelo. Another aspect of the drawings suggesting they were teaching tools is that all four of the presentation drawings given to Cavalieri (''Tityus'', ''Ganymede'', ''The Fall of Phaeton'', and ''The Dreamer'') all have the main figure facing different directions. For example, Tityus has the figure with his head downward facing the left while the figure from ''The Dreamer'' has his head up and to the right. Also, the figure in Ganymede is ascending vertically while the figure from ''The Fall of Phaeton'' is falling upside down. These four drawings as a group show the body facing all four cardinal directions and could have served to show Cavalieri how to depict the nude male form in different basic positions.Avigdor W. G. Poseq, "Aspects of Laterality in Michelangelo's Work", ''Artibus et Historiae'' 20, no. 40 (1999) 108.

Conclusions

Michelangelo's presentation drawings for Cavalieri have been a topic of interest among scholars because of their highly finished nature and because of the implications that they might have about Michelangelo's

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

. The drawings have been argued to be expressions of homoeroticism and also teaching tools for the purpose of instructing Cavalieri on how to draw. Also, ''Tityus'' has become of special interest among this grouping because of the dpeiction of the Risen Christ on the back. The purpose of this figure on the back along with who drew it is still unknown by scholars and remains a mystery.

Notes

References

* ''Artble''. "Tityus" under "Jusepe de Ribera". http://www.artble.com/artists/jusepe_de_ribera/paintings/tityus. * ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. "Ganymede". http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225486/Ganymede. * Francese, Joseph "On Homoerotic Tension in Michelangelo's Poetry", ''MLN'' 117, No. 1 (January 2002): 23–42. * Hibbard, Howard. ''Michelangelo'', 2nd ed., 233–377. New York: Harper & Row, 1974. * Poseq, W. G. Avigdor. "Aspects of Laterality in Michelangelo's Work". ''

Artibus et Historiae ''Artibus et Historiae'' is a semi-annual publication of art historical research published by IRSA (Institute for Art Historical Research) since 1980. It is a scholarly peer review journal embracing a broad range of topics within the field of art ...

'' 20, no. 40 (1999): 108. * Ruvoldt, Maria. "Michelangelo's Dream". ''

The Art Bulletin The College Art Association of America (CAA) is the principal organization in the United States for professionals in the visual arts, from students to art historians to emeritus faculty. Founded in 1911, it "promotes these arts and their understa ...

'' 85, no. 1 (March 2003): 94–95. {{Michelangelo Drawings by Michelangelo Prints and drawings in the Royal Collection of the United Kingdom