Lorenzo de'Medici, Duke of Urbino thumbnail 1
Lorenzo de'Medici, Duke of Urbino thumbnail 2
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On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Lorenzo de'Medici, Duke of Urbino

Statue
1526-1534 (sculpted), ca. 1881 (cast)
Artist/Maker
Michelangelo (sculptor)
Lelli, Oronzio (cast-maker)
Place of origin
Florence (sculpted)
Florence (cast)

Plaster cast, painted plaster, after the marble original of Lorenzo de' Medici in the Medici Chapel, in the church of San Lorenzo, Florence, by Michelangelo, Florence, 1526-34. Cast by Oronzio Lelli in Florence, in about 1881.

Object details

Category
Sculpture
Object type
Statue
TitleLorenzo de'Medici, Duke of Urbino (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Plaster cast, painted plaster
Plaster
Casting
Brief description
Plaster cast, painted plaster, after the marble original of Lorenzo de' Medici in the Medici Chapel, in the church of San Lorenzo, Florence, by Michelangelo, Florence, 1526-34. Cast by Oronzio Lelli in Florence, in about 1881.
Dimensions
  • Height: 183cm
  • Base width: 77cm
Gallery label
(2014)
In 1520, Michelangelo was commissioned by the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany to design a family mausoleum. He created statues of the deceased for each tomb. This figure shows Duke Lorenzo de' Medici, grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent and nephew of Pope Leo X. In the 19th century, the firm of Oronzio Lelli produced many casts of Michelangelo's figures from the chapel, including this one.
Object history
Purchased from Oronzio Lelli, Florence in 1881 for £50
Historical context
The decoration of the Medici funerary chapel was commissioned from Michelangelo in 1520 by Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, afterwards Pope Clement VII (1478-1534). The figure of Lorenzo (1492-1519) is seated in a niche above his tomb on which recline allegorical figures of Dawn and Dusk. On the opposite wall is the companion figure of Lorenzo's uncle, Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours (1478-1516), with Night and Day on his tomb.
Subjects depicted
Figure, Seated
De' Medici, Lorenzo
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
REPRO.1881-9

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Record createdJuly 10, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O41416/lorenzo-demedici-duke-of-urbino-statue-michelangelo/
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