Michelangelo (1475-1564)

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simon was born on March 6, 1475 in the town of Caprese about 60 miles (100 km) east of Florence. His interest in sculpture came early. Because his mother was long ill when he was a child, he lived with a stonecutter and his family in a village just outside of Florence. There he enjoyed learning how to be creative using a hammer and chisel.

Michelangelo: Pieta (1499)

Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in the village of Caprese, about 60 miles (100 km) east of Florence. He was almost 89 years old when he died on February 18, 1564, in Rome. He was buried in the church of Santa Croce in Florence.

Michelangelo first moved to Rome in June 1496 at the age of 21. Two years later he was hired to sculpt the Pietá. He finished the work a year later. It is made of marble from Carrara, Italy, and measures 68.5 x 76.8 inches (174 x 195 cm).