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Saint Paul

Saint Paul is one of four marble statues created by Italian sculptor and painter Michelangelo Buonarroti around 1501–1504 for the Piccolomini Altarpiece in Siena Cathedral. The commission, arranged with Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini, called for fifteen statues to decorate the chapel, with Michelangelo expected to finish them in three years for 500 ducats. By 1504, four altarpiece statues had been completed. The work has received limited attention from art historians, and neither Vasari nor Condivi mentioned it. According to Ainema, the statue may even be a youthful self-portrait of Michelangelo.

Marble statue of Saint Paul standing in an ornate niche with flowing robes and a bearded face.
Saint Paul by Michelangelo, shown as a full-length marble statue in an ornate niche.
September 2009 © · Public domain
Saint Paul marble statue in a shell-carved niche, shown full length in flowing draped garments with sandals.
Saint Paul by Michelangelo, displayed in a shell-carved niche inside Siena Cathedral.
© · Public domain
Saint Paul marble statue standing in an ornate carved niche with fluted pilasters and a shell-shaped alcove.
Saint Paul, a marble statue set within an elaborately carved niche.
1503 © user:J Hakkonnen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Marble statue of Saint Paul in an ornate niche with a shell-shaped top.
Saint Paul carved in marble and set within an ornate architectural niche.
July 2015 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Marble statue of Saint Paul in a niche on the Piccolomini Altar in Siena Cathedral, holding a book and a downward-pointing sword.
Saint Paul carved in marble on the Piccolomini Altar in Siena Cathedral.
July 2015 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleSaint Paul
Typestatue
FigureSaint Paul, the Apostle Paul
Original titleSan Paolo

Creator

ArtistMichelangelo Buonarroti
Artist nationalityItalian
Artist periodRenaissance

Historical context

Working locationFlorence
Burial associationPope Pius III had originally planned to be buried in front of this altar but later chose Saint Peter's in Rome
Related workMichelangelo was working on the David during the same period
Progress by 1504Four altar statues had been completed
Completion1504
CommissionPart of a contract for fifteen statues to decorate the Piccolomini Chapel in Siena Cathedral; Michelangelo was to carve them within three years for 500 ducats
Previous project statePietro Torrigiani had abandoned the project after carving one statue
Commission scaleA fairly large commission for its time
CommissionerCardinal Francesco Piccolomini
Commissioned forPiccolomini Chapel in Siena Cathedral
Commission date1501
Datec. 1501–1504

Materials

MaterialMarble

Physical characteristics

Hair and beardThick curly hair and a long curly beard
Head and faceHead shifted to the right; brows furrowed; concentrated, firm expression
AppearanceFully clothed figure wrapped in a large mantle with broad, heavy folds
PoseContrapposto; right arm hangs along the body, left arm bent holding drapery, left leg extended forward, right shoulder slightly lowered
Height127 cm
Number in groupOne of four marble altar statues
Placement in altarLower tier, right side, in one of the four niches of the Piccolomini altar

Technique

Drapery styleWet style (bagnato)
Technique influenceDerived from Andrea del Verrocchio and modeled on Donatello

Appearance

Stylistic referencesThe mantle recalls Verrocchio, and the contrapposto recalls Donatello
Art-historical comparisonSeveral features anticipate Michelangelo's David

Interpretation

Possible self-portraitAccording to Herbert von Einem, the statue may be a possible self-portrait of Michelangelo in his youth
Comparative interpretationIn the fresco The Conversion of Paul, Paul is interpreted as Michelangelo's portrait in old age
Scholarly assessmentWilliam Wallace described it as having an expressionistic pose and drapery
EvaluationProbably the most successful of the Piccolomini statues

Location and ownership

Current locationCathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Siena, Tuscany
Part ofthe Piccolomini Altarpiece complex
Original intended locationPiccolomini altar in Siena Cathedral

History and restoration

Completion status in sourceThe statue is incomplete in the supplied fragment

Significance

Art-historical receptionThe commission has received insufficient attention from art historians
Literary receptionMentioned in Vasari and Condivi as absent; also referred to in Karel Schulz's Stone and Pain (1943) and Irving Stone's The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961)

Other

AssistanceMichelangelo made substantial use of assistants
Production paceAbout one statue per year
Artist attitudeMichelangelo may have regarded these works as products of his youth and haste
Source noteThe attribution and extent of Michelangelo's own contribution to the broader Piccolomini series are difficult to determine