03 — ARTWORK
Studies for a Flying Angel (recto)
MICHELANGELO Buonarroti · 1536 →
- MEDIUM
- Black chalk, 407 x 272 mm
- TYPE
- Study
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
- 743 × 1100 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
The centre on the recto of the present sheet is occupied by a study of one of the flying angels carrying the Instruments of the PassionThe events leading up to Good Friday, beginning with Christ's arrest and ending with his burial. Portrayals of the Passion, which focus on the Suffering Christ, include depictions of Judas betraying Christ with a kiss, Peter cutting off Malchus's ear, the crown of thorns, and so on. in the <a onclick="return OpenOther('/html/m/michelan/3sistina/lastjudg/right/last_r01.html')" href="/html/m/michelan/3sistina/lastjudg/right/last_r01.html">right lunetteIn architecture, a semicircular space, such as that over a door or window or in a vaulted roof, that may contain a window, painting or sculptural decoration.</a> of the Last Judgment. Michelangelo painted this lunette after he had completed its left counterpart, which marked the beginning of his work on the monumental frescoWall painting technique in which pigments are applied to wet (fresh) plaster (intonaco). The pigments bind with the drying plaster to form a very durable image. Only a small area can be painted in a day, and these areas, drying to a slightly different tint, can in time be seen. Small amounts of retouching and detail work could be carried out on the dry plaster, a technique known as a secco fresco. in 1536. Probably drawn after a living model lying flat on his stomach, the drawing differs from the figure finally executed in the fresco in the posture of the head, the position of the left hand, and the fact that the lower part of the body is not turned toward the viewer.
The verso of the sheet includes two further studies of the floating angel of the recto as well as a sketch of his left arm.
Unfortunately only a few preparatory drawings for the monumental Last Judgment fresco have been preserved. Like the present drawings, there must have been numerous other study sheets on which the master prepared individual figures with utmost precision, altering or rejecting them as the final design took shape.
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-r97d3eb581b78e2,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Studies for a Flying Angel (recto) by MICHELANGELO Buonarroti},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-09},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/michelangelo-buonarroti-r3de9890382970b/studies-for-a-flying-angel-recto-r97d3eb581b78e2},
urldate = {2026-09-09},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-09. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.
