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Leon X On 20 February 1513 Julius II died. He was followed on 11 March by a Medici pope, Giovanni de’ Medici, who took as name Leon X. the younger son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, had known Michelangelo since boyhood. The pope soon commissioned the artist to work, designing the façade for the family church in Florence, the Church of San Lorenzo. Four years were spent on the project: wooden models of the façade were constructed, as well as small-scale wax models of the statues. Michelangelo went to Carrara, to find marble, but was redirected by Leon to Pietrasanta. Months were spent, due to bad roads or to the lack of them and to trouble created by the overlords of Carrara. As a consequence only four blocks of marble ever reached Florence. Eventually in 1520 the responsibility for the execution of the project was taken from Michelangelo and all work was abandoned. Up to this day the church remains without a façade. For an illustration of Michelangelo's project, please click here. In 1514 a statue of Christ was commissioned from Michelangelo, a work which should have been completed in four years. After four years and seven months the statue had not yet been delivered. At first it was thought he had not fulfilled his commission. In reality he had abandoned work on the statue half-way, as the marble had proved to be defective. Years later he tried to fulfil the commission, using another block of marble, though it was eventually completed by another hand in 1521. |