Florence, Casa Buonarroti puts online catalog of Michelangelo's drawings

A valuable tool for art lovers and scholars has recently arrived on the Web: Casa Buonarroti has decided to digitize and make available online, free of charge, the catalog of Michelangelo’s drawings in its possession. Michelangelo’s drawings, Casa Buonarroti explains, represent a fundamental component of the artistic legacy left by the master and offer a direct glimpse into his creative process. However, their fragility (due to the sensitivity of the paper and materials used to deterioration caused by light, temperature and humidity) requires that they be preserved in controlled environments, away from direct exposure. Thus, to satisfy the public’s interest without jeopardizing the preservation of the works, the Casa Buonarroti launched the initiative to digitize Michelangelo’s drawings. Visitors can now explore a selection of high-resolution digitized works either through an interactive multimedia totem in the museum, which allows them to examine the details of each drawing according to their interest, or through the museum’s website .

The digitized sheets include some of Michelangelo’s best-known masterpieces, ranging from figure studies, such as the Cleopatra and Studies for the Head of ’Leda,’ to sketches for architectural projects such as those for San Giovanni dei Fiorentini and Porta Pia. The first batch of the catalog has been published on the web: in each card it is possible to observe high-resolution images, research results of restoration operations (which in some cases have revealed new drawings hidden by previous interventions and of the application of modern scientific techniques), and then more information, descriptions, complete bibliographies, and historical-critical comments. Simply log on to theappropriate section of the Casa Buonarroti website.

The online catalog and totem are part of the project Michelangelo’s Drawings. Fruition, Digitization, Valorization (2023 - 2024), funded by the Fondazione CR Firenze and Friends of Florence. The digitization of the drawings was carried out by Centrica-Imagine More, which also oversaw the multimedia application based on ArtCentrica Platform. The multimedia totem was designed by Eutropia Architettura and built by Machina Srl.

Image: Michelangelo, Head Study for the Sistine Vault (1508-1511; red pencil on paper, 123 x 141 mm; Florence, Casa Buonarroti, inv. 47F)

Florence, Casa Buonarroti puts online catalog of Michelangelo's drawings

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.