Michelangelo

This richly illustrated study offers a close‑up view of Michelangelo’s beginnings, drawing on contemporary records and careful transcription of the 1895 edition. The author preserves original spellings and marginal notes, letting readers feel the texture of Renaissance documentation while guiding them with clear explanations. Accompanying the text are seventy‑eight reproductions of paintings, sculptures, and drawings that bring the young artist’s world to life.

Born in the tiny hill town of Caprese in March 1475, the future master entered the world under a complex Florentine calendar that the book unpacks with vivid detail. Raised by a stone‑masons’ mother and a father who first resisted his son’s drawing habit, Michelangelo eventually secured a three‑year apprenticeship with the celebrated painter Domenico Ghirlandaio. Early anecdotes reveal a prodigy who seemed to “drink” the craft, impressing teachers with sketches that hinted at the greatness to come.