. . . Among the works that Michelangelo sculpted in those years is the image of the sleeping Cupid en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Cupid_(Michelangelo) represented as a six-year-old child. The statue was so perfect that some friends of the artist suggested to artificially aged the sculpture in order to sell it as a real archaeological find. Amused by the thought, Michelangelo agreed. He touched up the statue to make it appear ancient and sent it toRome to a middleman who was able to sell it to the cardinal Raffaele Riario, a member of one of the most prestigious and well-connected families in Rome. The prank, which was eventually discovered, greatly offended Cardinal Roario, but not enough to prevent the angry (but also smart) art lover from inviting to Rome the extraordinary young artist who had been able to trick even his highly trained eyes. It was during that sojourn in Rome that Michelangelo was introduced to a French cardinal who was looking for a talented artist who would carve his funerary monument. The immortal ‘Pieta,’ which the twenty-three-year-old Michalengelo executed in only one year, between 1498 and 1499, was the result of that commission. ~ Page 398
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Dinesh said: