The Risen Christ (Cristo della Minerva)

At about the same time that Michelangelo was working on the statue of Moses for the tomb of Pope Julius II, he was commissioned with the figure of the Risen Christ for the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. He worked on the commission from 1514 to 1516. In the process, a defect occurred in the marble - a dark vein in the figure’s face. The artist abandoned his work, and later, in 1519-1520, fashioned a new sculpture in Florence, which he dispatched to Rome. He turned to his assistant Pietro Urbano to complete the sculpture and set it in place. A third hand further modified the statue. With regard to the extent of its authenticity, this is perhaps the most debated creation of Michelangelo. It therefore remains unclear whether the somewhat clumsy-looking statue of Christ was the artist's intention or rather a consequence of fate.