The Dying Slave

myminifactory

This is one of six "slaves" executed by Michelangelo for Pope Julius II's tomb, which included two now in the Louvre and four in Florence's Accademia di Belle Arti. A plaster cast was made in 1863 by Monsieur Toquiere. This figure and the Rebellious Slave were created for the second project (1513) for the tomb. Michelangelo planned to place them on either side of the Moses, but the project was never completed. In 1546, Michelangelo gave these two statues to Ruberto Strozzi in Lyon, who presented them to King Francois I of France. They were given by King Francois I to Conétable Anne de Montmorency and then passed through several members of the Montmorency and Richelieu families before being purchased for the French state in 1794. Since then, they have been preserved in the Louvre. Plaster casts were highly sought after during the 19th century when reproductions of great works of sculpture and architecture were seen as crucial for artist training. A separating substance was applied to the work's surface, and a plaster mold made from that. The mold would then be used to create additional plaster copies. These were often sold to artists and later in the century to art colleges for study purposes. Gallery location: Cast Courts, Room 46b, Weston Cast Court case FS, shelf S This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative by MyMiniFactory, creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures and artworks from across the globe for public access. Scan the World is an open source community effort; if you have interesting items and want to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.