Michelangelo (1475-1564) addressed this sonnet and his dedication
to one of his closest friends, the poet Vittoria Colonna
(1492-1547), marchesa of Pescara. Although the painter often was
very sparing in his use of paper, for these few lines he used a
large and beautiful in-folio sheet, folded and glued together (to
add more thickness). Writing in a humanist script close to
calligraphy, he showed particular care for the layout, using line
spacing and indentations to reinforce the customary architecture of
the sonetto. His tone is very respectful: Michelangelo greets not
only a friend, but also a lady who is part of high society and who
has given him a valuable gift. This gift, which was to take its
beneficiary "in paradiso”, must have been a manuscript of the
Sonetti spirituali of the poet (who in general was very discreet
and only rarely showed her verses).
Rights
e-codices - Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland
