03 — ARTWORK
Slave (Atlas)
MICHELANGELO Buonarroti · 1536 →
- MEDIUM
- Marble, height 208 cm
- TYPE
- Mythological
PALETTE
HOVER OR TAP A SWATCH FOR NAME, SHARE AND HEX. SAMPLED FROM THE IMAGE — INDICATIVE, NOT A PIGMENT ANALYSIS.
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- FILE
- 1401 × 2100 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
The notion that Michelangelo attacked a cube of stone aided only by inspiration is a romantic fallacy, as is the assertion, elaborated from brief accounts by Vasari and Benvenuto Cellini, that he invariably began carving on the front face of the block, only gradually exposing the flanks of the statue. Examination of surviving unfinished statues reveals that work proceeded according to the nature of the figure. The Atlas Slave, devised as a corner figure for the tomb of Julius II, was excavated from two adjacent faces of the block simultaneously.
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-rce7076e6d83f4a,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Slave (Atlas) by MICHELANGELO Buonarroti},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-09},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/michelangelo-buonarroti-r3de9890382970b/slave-atlas-rce7076e6d83f4a},
urldate = {2026-09-09},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-09. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.
