The Rebellious Slave

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Michelangelo carved six sculptures of slaves for Pope Julius II's tomb. The massive monument project was eventually downsized. Two of the figures were given to a Florentine exile in France who presented them to the king. In 1794, the Rebellious Slave and Dying Slave were purchased by the French state. They were placed in the Louvre where they significantly contributed to Michelangelo's work appreciation outside Italy. This is a plaster reproduction found in London's V&A Cast Courts. One of six "slaves" executed by Michelangelo for Pope Julius II's tomb, two are now at the Louvre and four at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. This figure was part of the second project (1513) for the tomb along with the Dying Slave (V&A cast museum no. 1863-15). In this plan, Michelangelo intended to place them on either side of the Moses (V&A cast museum no. 1858-278). The project was never completed in this form. Around 1546, Michelangelo gave these two statues to a Florentine exile in Lyon who presented them to King Francois I of France. They were given by King Francois I to Conétable Anne de Montmorency and later passed through several members of the Montmorency and Richelieu families. In 1794, the Rebellious and Dying Slaves were purchased for the French state, preserved in the Musée du Louvre ever since. Gallery location: The Weston Cast Court, case FS, shelf S, Room 46b, Cast Courts. This object is part of "Scan The World", a non-profit initiative by MyMiniFactory. We are creating a digital archive of fully printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks worldwide for public access free. Scan the World is an open source community effort, email stw@myminifactory.com to contribute interesting items around you. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.