Rebellious slave 1513–1515. Marble. Height 209. Paired sculptures Dying Slave and Rising Slave.
Sculpture

Paired sculptures Dying Slave and Rising Slave by Michelangelo

The sculpture “Rebellious Slave” was created by Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor, master of the Renaissance, to decorate the tomb of Pope Julius II. The statue was intended to be placed on the corner of a tombstone, so it is superbly crafted on both sides. Nevertheless, the work was not completed: part of the stone block under the right leg bent at the knee of the statue remained unfinished.

Like most of Michelangelo’s figures, the slave “froze” at the moment of movement. A beautiful half-naked young man, in a desperate attempt to free himself from the fetters that bind him, strained all the muscles of his powerful body. His whole image symbolizes the struggle for freedom. The paired sculpture “The Dying Slave” is technically more complete, but the attributes symbolizing its semantic meaning have not been created or lost.

Rebellious slave 1513–1515. Marble. Height 209. Paired sculptures Dying Slave and Rising Slave.
Rebellious slave 1513–1515. Marble. Height 209. Paired sculptures Dying Slave and Rising Slave.

The almost naked, exhausted young man dies, but the curly-haired, slightly thrown back head and the left hand supporting it, raised high and bent at the elbow, rather testify to his rapid descent into sleep. Perhaps by this the author wanted to say that death, like sleep, brings deliverance to the young slave from bondage.

The sculptures on display are some of Michelangelo’s most perfect creations, but they were never used to decorate the tomb. The heirs of Julius II were dissatisfied with the third, fourth and even fifth project of Buonarroti. Only in 1542 was the sixth and final agreement on the creation of the tomb of the pontiff concluded. The monument did not turn out to be as grandiose as it was originally intended, and most of the sculptures for its decoration were no longer made by Michelangelo, but by his students.

The Dying Slave 1513–1526. Marble. Height 228. Paired sculptures Dying Slave and Rising Slave.
The Dying Slave 1513–1526. Marble. Height 228. Paired sculptures Dying Slave and Rising Slave.