Imprisoned in stone
The Louvre’s Masterpieces
Slaves (The Rebellious Slave and The Dying Slave)
Michelangelo Buonarroti, known as Michelangelo
These two striking muscular figures illustrate the mix of realism and idealism at which Michelangelo excelled. A closer look reveals the fine bonds, carved in relief, that restrain their movements and identify them as ‘Slaves’. The figures are depicted in different poses: The Dying Slave is shown in a deep, perhaps eternal sleep; the Rebellious Slave seems to be straining against his bonds. The statues were commissioned from Michelangelo as part of a decorative project for a pope’s funerary monument but the project was abandoned and the Slaves remained imprisoned in the marble. Their state of incompletion makes them more difficult to interpret… but a touch of mystery has never harmed a masterpiece!
Taking an all-round view
Sculptures need to be seen from every angle to be fully appreciated. In the case of the Dying Slave, the figure’s charm and mystery are heightened by walking all around it… Look out for the monkey carved behind his left knee! Why a monkey? It all depends on the interpretation of the Slaves themselves: if these figures of resignation and rebellion represent the inability of humans to rise above their physical condition, then the monkey symbolises material life; but if they are seen as personifications of the Arts, mourning the death of the Pope, then the monkey is a symbol of Painting…