#mindblowing stuff indeed. obsessed with this interpretation like it's incredibly underrated and deserves more attention imo !!

[borgialucrezia]

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MICHELANGELO'S PIETÀ: A POSSIBLE PORTRAIT OF JUAN BORGIA AND HIS MOTHER, VANNOZZA DEI CATTANEI

One of Michelangelo Buonarroti's best-known works, the Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica, was created between 1498 — 1499. It was originally commissioned by a French cardinal, Jean Bilhères de Lagraulas, who intended it for his tomb in Saint Petronilla. The sculpture was later moved to its current location in 1749.

At the time of its creation in 1498, Pope Alexander VI was in power. It was rumored then that the faces of Mary and Christ in the Pietà were modeled after Vannozza dei Cattanei, Rodrigo Borgia's mistress, and their son, Juan Borgia, Duke of Gandia. In his classic work I Borgia: storia e iconografia, renowned Italian author Mario Menotti thoroughly analyzes the iconography of the Borgia family. According to Menotti, this was not the only time Vannozza was depicted as Mary. She may have also served as the model in The Annunciation (1501) by Pinturicchio. Juan Borgia was murdered in 1497 at the age of 23, his body thrown into the Tiber, causing profound sorrow for both his father and mother. Michelangelo's work, created barely a year after Juan's murder, may have been inspired by Johannes Burchard's description of Juan's body, which appeared “almost more handsome than when he was alive.” In the Carrara marble sculpture, Juan's features balance early forms of naturalism with the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty, aligning closely with Burchard's remark.

ARTWORKS: Sculpture: Pietà (1498-1499) by Michelangelo Paintings: (left) Juan Borgia in "In the Room of the Saints" (1492 -1494) by Pinturicchio. (right) Juan Borgia in "Miracle of the Knight of Cologne" (1510) by Miguel Esteve.