''Leah'' is a sculpture by Michelangelo of the Old Testament figure

Leah Leah ''La'ya;'' from (; ) appears in the Hebrew Bible as one of the two wives of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. Leah was Jacob's first wife, and the older sister of his second (and favored) wife Rachel. She is the mother of Jacob's first son ...

. Like the artist's ''

Rachel Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...

'', it was part of the final, 1542–1545 design for the

tomb of Pope Julius II The Tomb of Pope Julius II is a sculptural and architectural ensemble by Michelangelo and his assistants, originally commissioned in 1505 but not completed until 1545 on a much reduced scale. Originally intended for St. Peter's Basilica, the str ...

San Pietro in Vincoli San Pietro in Vincoli (; Saint Peter in Chains) is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, best known for being the home of Michelangelo's statue of Moses, part of the tomb of Pope Julius II. The '' Titulus S. Petr ...

, on which it still remains.

History

With Michelangelo's ''

'', the statue of ''Leah'' completed the decoration of the last version of the funeral monument of

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

in 1542–1545, a troubled work to which the artist dedicated almost 40 years. Intended for the right niche, next to the older and successful '' Moses'' statue, the work is documented in a plea to Pope Paul III of July 20, 1542, which reported that the works were progressing well. A month after, Michelangelo contracted

Raffaello da Montelupo Raffaello da Montelupo (c. 1504/1505 – c. 1566/1567), born Raffaele Sinibaldi, was a sculptor and architect of the Italian Renaissance, and an apprentice of Michelangelo. He was the son of another Italian sculptor, Baccio da Montelupo. Both ...

to bring the five remaining statues of the tomb to completion, including ''Leah'' and ''Rachel''. He reserved for these last two, however, a new execution by his own hand. It seems that the cleaning and finishing was left to his assistant. After the completion of the monument, Michelangelo was much criticized for the final result, so that his autograph on the two niche statues was denied. That hypothesis was taken up for a long time in the 19th century, until documents were found to authenticate his authorship.

Description and style

, the Biblical heroine, is represented as a Roman matron, in classical dress and holding a mirror (which would recall the virtue of Prudence) or a diadem, through which runs her long braid of hair. According to

Giorgio 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, Sculp ...

and Ascanio Condivi, ''Leah'' is an allegory for an "active life," based on a passage from Dante or ''Diputatione Camaldulenses'' by

Cristoforo Landino Cristoforo Landino (1424 in Pratovecchio, Casentino, Florence – 24 September 1498 in Borgo alla Collina, Casentino) was an Italian humanist and an important figure of the Florentine Renaissance. Biography From a family with ties to th ...

. In that sense, the two feminine figures might represent two ways of being, but the two ways of salvation are not necessarily in conflict with each other. The contemplative life represented by ''Rachel'' prays for its salvation through Faith, while the active life represented by ''Leah'' finds its salvation in work. The communal interpretation of the artwork is that it is a kind of mediation between Reform and Catholicism owing to its association with

Vittoria Colonna Vittoria Colonna (April 149225 February 1547), marchioness of Pescara, was an Italian noblewoman and poet. As an educated, married noblewoman whose husband was in captivity, Colonna was able to develop relationships within the intellectual circl ...

and her followers.

Bibliography

* Umberto Baldini, ''Michelangelo scultore'', Rizzoli, Milano 1973. * Marta Alvarez Gonzáles, ''Michelangelo'', Mondadori Arte, Milano 2007.

External links

* {{Michelangelo, sculpture 1540s sculptures Marble sculptures in Italy Sculptures by Michelangelo Sculptures depicting Hebrew Bible people Tomb of Pope Julius II Sculptures of women in Italy

History

Description and style

See also

Bibliography

External links