Just four at a time, visitors will soon be allowed into an old hidden room inside Florence’s Medici Chapel where delicate charcoal drawings sketched on the walls have been attributed by some experts to Michelangelo.
The secret room – a small 10-by-3-meter (33-by-10-foot) space – was discovered in 1975 when officials sought a new exit from the Medici Chapel to accommodate the growing number of visitors.
The museum’s then director Paolo Dal Poggetto “strongly believed they were by Michelangelo,” said the current director, Paola D’Agostino.
Fierce debate ensued and continues to this day.
“The major scholars of Michelangelo’s painting rejected the attribution” at the time of the discovery 50 years ago, he said. “Others have a more moderate view, in the sense that they think some can be done by Michelangelo and others can be done by followers. So the debate is ongoing.”
The room was used to store coal until 1955 and was then sealed shut and forgotten for decades under a trap door that was then hidden under furniture.
Visitors will be allowed to enter an old hidden room inside Florence’s Medici Chapel where delicate charcoal drawings are sketched on the walls. AP Some experts believe that the sketch on the wall is by Michelangelo. AP
The painting itself was found under two layers of plaster.
According to Dal Poggetto’s theory, Michelangelo hid in a small chamber from “the wrath of Pope Clement VII” for supporting the short-lived republic that overthrew the Medicis, sketching studies for some of his projects.
It includes a sketch believed to be the feet of Giuliano de’ Medici, as found in the New Sacristy near the entrance to the secret chamber.
The secret room was discovered in 1975 when officials were looking for a new exit from the Medici Chapel to accommodate the growing number of visitors. Musei del Bargell HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock “The main scholars of Michelangelo’s painting rejected the attribution” at the time of the discovery 50 years ago, said Paola D’Agostino, the current director. MUSEI del Bargell HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock According to Dal Poggetto’s theory, Michelangelo hid in a small chamber from “the wrath of Pope Clement VII” for supporting the short-lived republic that overthrew the Medicis. AP
For most of the past 50 years, access to the room has been restricted.
Officials decided to open the room to the public on a limited basis and will change the exposure to LED lighting with extended periods of darkness to protect the work.
From November 15, up to 100 visitors will be granted access each week by reservation, four at a time, spending a maximum of 15 minutes in the space.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
