The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Novel of Michelangelo

Michelangelo is a teenager, but his tutor, Bertoldo, is approaching the end of his life. The master and the apprentice share a room together in the Medici palace so that Michelangelo can devote himself to his studies at all times. In the room, Bertoldo shows Michelangelo the small clay models that represent his life’s work. He encourages Michelangelo to build a “body of work” (107) of his own, just as he has done and just as Donatello did before him. Michelangelo is struck by the smallness of the models. He remains amazed by his good fortune, as he now lives in the palace, devoting all his time to sculpture. He is given new clothes and as much time as he needs for his art. Michelangelo is treated almost like “one of the family” (109) while living in the Medici palace. He develops a rich friendship with Contessina, and he dines in the big room where Lorenzo invites all visitors to his palace, introducing Michelangelo to a cosmopolitan, educated world beyond Florence.

At last, Michelangelo learns how to carve stone. Carving marble for sculpture is very different, he is told, from the cutting of stone as taught to him by the Topolinos, but Michelangelo is enamored with the artform. He is taught how to make his own tools and select blocks of marble for his works. As much as Bertoldo has to teach Michelangelo, he cannot teach the youngster about the pure ecstasy of working with stone. This Michelangelo discovers for himself, learning more about himself and his world through the cutting of stone than ever before. Michelangelo enters into an almost-spiritual bond with the marble.

Part of Michelangelo’s education is undertaken by the collection of humanists and philosophers known as the Plato Academy. Together, they are the “intellectual heart of Europe” (116). Michelangelo admits to them that he has little interest in poetry or ancient languages, but they enthusiastically help him to learn about the Classical world. The Plato Academy includes famous intellectuals such as Marsilio Ficino, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Angelo Poliziano, and Cristoforo Landino, who have been brought together by Lorenzo as part of his humanist project. Through the Medici palace and through Lorenzo, Michelangelo has access to many of the leading artists and intellectuals of the era, as well as Lorenzo’s collection of classical and contemporary art.

Among the many subjects shared at the meetings of the Plato Academy are criticisms of the Catholic Church. People have accused the Church of being corrupt and sinful. The Vatican in Rome is a rival to Florence; the Church has threatened to excommunicate Lorenzo and publicly denounce him for political reasons. At the same time, a monk named Fra (Fratello, or brother) Girolamo Savonarola has emerged in the town of Ferrara. His sermons against corruption in the Church have captured the public’s attention. Lorenzo suggests that they invite Savonarola to Florence as a possible weapon to wield against the Church. Michelangelo sits by while the Academy discusses politics, spirituality, and art.

Though Michelangelo is proud of himself, his newfound status is not universally respected. Torrigiani accuses Michelangelo of looking down on his former peers. Though Granacci warns that Torrigiani is jealous and quarrelsome, he urges Michelangelo to be understanding. At the same time, Rustici mocks Michelangelo’s clothes. At home, Michelangelo feels his family’s resentment toward him, even as he offers up his weekly allowance to them without spending anything on himself. Ludovico thanklessly and greedily accepts this money, telling Michelangelo that the people in the palace see him as nothing more than a hired workman. Lionardo, Michelangelo’s brother, is becoming increasingly devout. He warns Michelangelo that the art produced by the Medici patronage is debauched and decadent due to its association with Lorenzo. Michelangelo struggles to understand his brother’s criticism; not only does he admire Lorenzo, but Michelangelo also has little interest in politics or spiritual arguments. He just wants to work on his art. He begins to feel as though Lorenzo and Bertoldo are more like father figures to him than his own father.

Seeking the familiar company of the Topolino family, Michelangelo decides to take gifts to them to mark his success. Contessina helps him choose gifts for each family member. When he presents these gifts, he discovers that she has included an expensive tablecloth without his knowledge. The Topolino family is awed by the lavish gifts from a Medici. Michelangelo is also taught to write poetry. His first efforts are clumsy, but his sonnets become one way in which he can vent his emotions. He learns to think of poetry as carving images and emotions from language as he carves statues from marble. As he prepares to make his first statue, Michelangelo also draws live models whenever he can, searching for inspiration.

Michelangelo is summoned by Lorenzo’s oldest son, the arrogant Piero. Lacking his father’s charm or intellect, Piero treats Michelangelo like an employee. He demands that Michelangelo produce a sculpture for him. When Michelangelo tries to protest, Piero threatens to throw him out of the palace. Lorenzo intervenes, assuring Michelangelo that he is protected. Contessina, however, warns that Michelangelo should make amends with Piero, who is still a powerful figure in the palace and can cause “a lot of trouble” (135).

The members of the Plato Academy urge Michelangelo to pick a classical theme, though Lorenzo believes the choice should be Michelangelo’s alone. Michelangelo wants to sculpt a Madonna, a traditional Christian image of the Virgin Mary, in memory of his dead mother. To prepare, he examines the many other Madonna depictions in Florence, but none seem right to him. Next, he sketches women in the city. He sketches women from all strata of society, as well as their babies, as he searches for the “spirit of motherhood” (138). He tries to interpret the Madonna for himself, choosing to depict her at the moment of decision when she acknowledges that her son—Jesus Christ—will one day die. Michelangelo begins to sculpt, withdrawing from other people. During this time, Michelangelo also declines social obligations, such as a hunt organized by Giovanni de’ Medici, and Contessina must warn him not to completely abandon those around him, lest he make powerful enemies.

Eventually, Michelangelo presents his Madonna to the Plato Academy. They praise his work as a fusion of the Classical and the humanist. They praise him as a “pagan at heart” (148). Bertoldo credits Michelangelo with developing the work entirely by himself. Lorenzo pays him in gold Florins for the statue, suggesting that Michelangelo might like to use the money to travel Italy and learn more about sculpture. Instead, Michelangelo gives all the money to his father, who feels entitled to his son’s earnings and uninterested in the art. While studying with Bertoldo, Michelangelo gets into an argument with Torrigiani, who punches Michelangelo in the face. Michelangelo’s “crushed” (153) nose never recovers its old shape, while Torrigiani is forced to flee the city. With Contessina’s help, Michelangelo makes a recovery. Lorenzo also visits him often, lavishing him with paternal affection.

For his next work, Michelangelo decides to depict a scene from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The Battle of the Centaurs will echo Roman works, as well as Bertoldo’s own, though Michelangelo wants to find his own interpretation. Since the human form (and, particularly, the male form) interests him most, he confesses his desire to sculpt humans without clothes. The use of nude models, however, is forbidden. As such, he contents himself with sketching half-dressed laborers at work. During this time, Lionardo has joined Savonarola’s increasingly fanatical congregation. He warns Michelangelo against any depictions of paganism. The story of the centaurs, he says, is an “evil story” (161). Lorenzo already regrets having brought the Dominican friar to Florence.

Michelangelo’s friendship with Contessina becomes an important part of his life. They are deeply attached to one another but—since she is a Medici—they cannot be together. One night, they sneak out together. Lorenzo makes the decision to send Contessina away to stay with the Ridolfi family. When she is old enough, she will marry a Ridolfi. During a brief return, she speaks to Michelangelo about her arranged marriage to Piero Ridolfi. They bid a tearful farewell, knowing their friendship will never be the same.

Michelangelo hears one of Savonarola’s fiery sermons. Savonarola rages against “the adulteries of the Church” (168). Michelangelo never questions his faith, but he struggles to understand Savonarola’s issues with art. Once more, he argues with Lionardo and insists that his sculpture is fundamentally spiritual. In Florence, more people flock to Savonarola. The famous artist Sandro Botticelli joins Savonarola and disowns his previous masterpieces due to their pagan influence. Though he feels a “grudging admiration for Savonarola” (173), Michelangelo remains uninterested in politics or religious fundamentalism. He searches only for a way to revolutionize sculpture and find his artistic voice. Amid Lionardo’s beseeching and the increasingly fanatical air in the city, Michelangelo moves his sculpture into the Medici palace.

Lorenzo seems increasingly powerless against the rising force of Savonarola, who organizes public burnings of artworks that he deems heretical. Michelangelo is shocked by these so-called Bonfires of the Vanities. Michelangelo finishes his sculpture, prompting Bertoldo to announce that he has nothing left to teach his pupil. Bertoldo dies in Michelangelo’s arms, with Michelangelo having been declared the rightful “heir” (181) of Bertoldo, as Bertoldo was to Donatello. Lorenzo’s health begins to fail as the mood in the Medici palace seems increasingly dissolute. Lorenzo is taken to the countryside in his final days. Michelangelo sneaks into the palace and is confused as to why Lorenzo summons Savonarola to his bedside. Lorenzo asks for the friar’s blessing, not wanting to die with such an enemy. Lorenzo dies, and Michelangelo runs from the palace in tears, struck by “uncontrollable grief” (188) as though he has lost more than just his patron.