I disegni di Michelangelo per le Allegorie del Tempo nella Sagrestia Nuova: materialità, medialità, ricomposizione dei fogli

Focusing on the materiality of the paper and the mediality of the drawings, this essay examines Michelangelo’s ten preparatory studies for the statues of the Allegories of Time, designed for the ducal monuments in the New Sacristy of the San Lorenzo Basilica in Florence, now preserved in various museum collections: one at the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi in Florence (Inv. 18719 F recto-verso), two at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford (Inv. WA1846.55 recto; Inv. WA1846.56 recto), four at the Teylers Museum in Haarlem (Inv. A 33 recto; Inv. A 33 bis recto; Inv. A 36 recto; Inv. A 30 recto), two at the British Museum (Inv. 1859,0625.569 verso; Inv. 1859,0625.566 verso), and one at the British Library (Ms Add. 21907, fol. 1 verso). Particular attention wil be given to the drawing technique with stylus and black chalk, and an in-depth analysis will be provided on the process of reassembling the sheets, especially the Royal-sized sheet with studies for Night and Day.