Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours thumbnail 1
Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours thumbnail 2
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images
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours

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

Plaster Cast of Giuliano de 'Medici (Duke of Nemours, b. 1478; d.1564) after the marble original in the Medici Chapel (the New Sacristy) in the church of S. Lorenzo, Florence.

Object details

Category
Sculpture
Object type
Statue
TitleGiuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Plaster cast, painted plaster
Plaster
Casting
Brief description
Plaster cast, painted plaster, after the marble original of Giuliano 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.
Physical description
Plaster Cast of Giuliano de 'Medici (Duke of Nemours, b. 1478; d.1564) after the marble original in the Medici Chapel (the New Sacristy) in the church of S. Lorenzo, Florence.
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, of Giuliano, a son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, is shown as a classical Roman general. 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 in 1881 for £50
Historical context
The decorations 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 Giuliano (1479-1516) is seated in a niche above his tomb on which recline allegorical figures of Night and Day. On the opposite wall is the companion figure of Giuliano's nephew, Lorenzo de 'Medici, Duke of Urbino (1492-1519), with Dawn and Dusk on his tomb.
Subjects depicted
Classicism
Figures
Men
Dukes
Figure, Seated
Armour
De' Medici, Giuliano
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
REPRO.1881-10

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Record createdJuly 10, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O41417/giuliano-de-medici-duke-of-statue-michelangelo/
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