Reconstruction of the Battle of Cassina
Michelangelo - The Battle of Cascina Copyright © 2019 leonardoresearch.jp Kiyoshi Bando
Lost Masterpiece: Battle of Cassina
Michelangelo's Battle of Cassina, like Leonardo's Battle of Anghiari, is a fantastic masterpiece that was abandoned midway through production and never completed.
If this painting had been completed and preserved to this day, it would undoubtedly have become Michelangelo's masterpiece.
Michelangelo was a mysterious artist, and is characterized by the fact that he created more masterpieces in his younger years than in his later years. Sculptures include the Pietà and David, and paintings include the Sistine ceiling paintings from his younger days, which are better than the Last Judgment from his later years. The Battle of Cassina is one of his most brilliant works as an artist when he was around 30 years old. Unfortunately, the mural was never completed, and many of the preliminary drawings were lost. Currently, only fragmentary drawings remain.
Every time I look at the few remaining sketches of Cassina, I can't help but imagine the Battle of Cassina as completed by Michelangelo.
What kind of painting was Michelangelo trying to paint about the Battle of Cassina?
If it had been completed, how would it have captivated the viewer?
Such delusions will continue forever.
Left: Michelangelo's drawing for the Battle of Cassina
It is assumed that the composition of the Battle of Cassina that Michelangelo envisioned depicts warriors rushing towards the clothes hanging in the center of the painting.
In the reproduction of Sangallo below, the center of the screen (warrior number 5) is shifted to the left.
Not only that, but the depiction of warriors rushing for clothing is also omitted.
It is possible that Michelangelo may have abandoned the painting after completing a few individual sketches without completing the overall sketch.
The image above shows Sangallo's reproduction of Michelangelo's Battle of Cassina, in which the warriors are numbered.
Consideration of Sangallo's copy
There are many areas where Sangallo's copy and Michelangelo's drawing do not match.
Near the center of the screen, there are people in the same pose as Michelangelo's sketches, but as you move towards the periphery, the composition of the screen becomes quite different from Michelangelo's concept. As for the people depicted, Michelangelo's drawings sometimes include people who are not depicted, or conversely, people who were depicted are sometimes omitted.
In addition, in the overall composition of the painting, in Michelangelo's drawing, the figures overlap innumerably to form a single mass, whereas in Sangallo's copy, the overlapping of the figures is weak, especially on the left side, giving a sparse impression. Because the density of the people is different on the left and right sides of the screen, the depiction has a strong impression of lacking overall cohesion.
The reason for this difference is that Michelangelo's sketch of the Battle of Cassina was not fully completed at the time Sangallo made this copy.
My opinion is that Sangallo probably completed this copy as a single painting by combining fragmentary materials.
Restoration of warrior number 8
Left figure: Michelangelo's drawing
Right figure: Reproduction of Sangallo
Comparison with drawing
The image below shows Michelangelo's drawing superimposed on Sangallo's copy.
In Sangallo's copy, his body is tilted considerably in order to place his hands on the ground.
However, I have some doubts about this attitude. I think that Michelangelo may have intended to depict this warrior's left hand reaching towards the back of the screen, rather than touching it to the ground. The reason I feel this way is the direction of the warrior's face and the depiction of his left shoulder. It also feels like my left shoulder is too high to touch the ground. I also feel that the warrior's upper body is in a very upright position, making it difficult to put his hands on it.
In the image on the left, the legs are stacked one on top of the other, with the legs at the same height from the tips of the feet to the head.
Michelangelo's drawing has a smaller head and different proportions. As you can see, Sangallo's copy differs from Michelangelo's drawing in significant ways, and many points had to be corrected.
Furthermore, it is an image of Michelangelo's drawing rotated to match Sangallo's copy.
The proportions of each part, such as the width of the body, the thickness of the neck, and the size of the feet, are slightly different.
Left image: An image that reproduces the lower body from a drawing by Michelangelo.
In the case of Michelangelo, when drawing frescoes, he used hatching in the shaded areas. When you enlarge the image, you will be surprised at how rough the depiction is.
The image on the left is a reproduction based on Michelangelo's depiction of the young man on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo's works from this period are particularly rich.
leonardoresearch.jp/ October 02 2016
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