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Primary sourceBook1553

Vita di Michelagnolo Buonarroti

Ascanio Condivi · 1553

A 1553 biography of Michelangelo written by his pupil Ascanio Condivi, believed to reflect the artist's own account of his life.

This biography is thought to reflect Michelangelo's own input, making it close to his self-presentation.

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Title page of a printed book in Italian. Large capital text reads 'VITA DI MICHELAGNOLO BUONARROTI RACCOLTA PER ASCANIO CONDIVI DA LA RIPA TRANSONE'. Below is a printer's device of a rampant lion in a bordered square, and a publication line reading 'In Roma appresso Antonio Blado Stampatore Camerale nel M.D.LIII alli XVI di Luglio'.
Ascanio Condivi, Vita di Michelagnolo Buonarroti, Rome, 1553.

About this source

What it is

This printed biography of Michelangelo was written by Ascanio Condivi and published in Rome in 1553. It is dedicated to Pope Julius III.

Why it matters

Because Condivi worked closely with Michelangelo while writing it, the book is often treated as close to Michelangelo's own version of his life story, written partly to correct or respond to Vasari's earlier biography. It shows how Michelangelo wanted to be remembered, and how artists in this period cared about shaping their public image.

Look closer

  • Why might Michelangelo have wanted to provide information for his own biography instead of leaving it to others?
  • What does it mean for a biography to be "corrected" by its subject?
  • How might this book differ from one written without the subject's involvement?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Michelangelo Buonarroti on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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