#John Medici

[muzaktomyears]

Mal himself was acutely aware of the special relationship he shared with Paul, the Beatle with whom he was, to his mind, undoubtedly the closest, but he also understood Paul's psyche best, and recognized that his friend "seemed to have the attitude of a North of England mill owner." In one especially painful instance, Mal recalled Paul "turning to me and saying, 'you are my servant. You do as you are told.'" Mal felt shaken to the core. "'I've never been anybody's servant,'" he replied, "always feeling in my heart that I worked with the Beatles and never for them." In his anger and hurt, Mal sought out John's advice. "They also lead who serve," Lennon told the roadie, paraphrasing the famous line from John Milton's Sonnet 26 (1673), "They also serve who only stand and wait." (...) Flush with John's guidance, Mal took to his diary, transforming the Beatle's words of wisdom into a poem: Don't take my weakness Give me your strength Don't give me your weakness Take my strength To rule is to serve To lead is to follow I'll serve and follow you And take you to love. For Mal, John's good counsel made all the difference, calming him after what he felt to be a personal affront.

Living the Beatles Legend, Kenneth Womack (2023)

[juby06]

Happy pride everyone💜

[cristina-t]

Radiance Moodboards

Sage Medici:

John B Routledge:

Ruby Routledge:

JJ Maybank:

[tiny-librarian]

Royal Birthdays for today, June 12th:

Reizei, Emperor of Japan, 950

Gaozong of Song, Emperor of China, 1107

Constance, Duchess of Brittany, 1161

Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, 1519

Anna of Württemberg, Duchess of Legnica, 1561

John Casimir, Duke of Saxe-Coburg, 1564

Karl Emich, Prince of Leiningen, 1952

Sibylla, Princess of Luxembourg, 1968

[rubysleepstoomuch]

Introduction

🦋 Rp account

🦋 Name: Ruby Routledge

🦋 Age: 16- 18 ( depending on what season you wanna rp)

🦋 taken by: JJ Maybank @jjs-hoe-hours

🦋 family: John B @itsme-johnb, Big John, the pogues

🦋 f/c:

🦋 rules: be nice!, message me first if there’s any darker themes you want to explore so we can make a plan, just have fun and don’t spam!

🦋: emoji anons are welcome

[thatsthewaythechrissycrumbles]

No Scrub

JJ Maybank x OC (Ruby Routledge)

Warnings: swearing, fighting, overreaction, slight innuendo?

WC: 0.7k

So... a Halloween party for the Pogues is basically an every day party, except they put on costumes and eat a shit ton of candy. And maybe do karaoke.

John B, JJ, and Pope are matching skeletons. Ruby, Sage, and Kie are fairies.

So when Ruby, John B, JJ, Pope, and Kie were watching Sage sing That's What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction? Highlight of their year. Better than fucking Christmas.

"Okay, okay," Sage huffs, completely out of breath. "Who's next?"

"You are, baby," John B chuckles, offering Sage her beer. "You put yourself down for all night."

Sage raises her eyebrows, chugging the beer. "Fuck, seriously? Well, I don't wanna go anymore."

"Too bad, Sage," Ruby chimes in, her legs laying over JJ's lap. "Come on, we all know you love singing. Just one more!"

Sage waves her off, "Fine, fine. But this one's gotta be fucking good."

JJ and Ruby tapered off into their own conversation, lost in their own little world. John B nudged Pope, grinning. "10 bucks says she picks a song from 1990."

"Destiny's Child, for sure," Kie chimed in.

"Okay, okay," Sage said, shaking out her hands. "No Scrub, TLC."

"Oh my God," Ruby grinned, "I fucking love this song! Can I duet?"

"Hell yes!" Sage said, handing Ruby the other microphone. "Bless you, Pope, for sharing your karaoke machine with us."

"Gift of the year, my good sir," JJ raised his beer mockingly, putting on an accent.

"It's my moms!" Pope defended weakly, sipping at his beer again.

The opening notes of No Scrub started playing and the two girls danced around, absolutely care free as they sang.

"Oh my God," Ruby huffed, flopping down on the couch beside JJ again. "That song is literally my life. Innit, J?" She nudged her boyfriend playfully, reciting a few lines, "Hanging out the passenger side of his best friend's ride, trying to holler at me--"

JJ got up from the couch in a huff, his cheerful demeanor gone and replaced with an upset, angry vibe.

"JJ!" Ruby yelled, confused. "What the hell?" She got off the couch, rushing after JJ and grabbing his arm. "JJ, what--"

JJ whirled, anger written across his features. "What do you mean, 'what'? You're just gonna act like it's about someone who won't give any love to a poor guy? Fucking Christ, Ruby, even you aren't that dumb!"

Ruby flinched. "Hey, that's not fair. I didn't even think--"

"Yeah, no shit," JJ responded, pulling his arm away from her and shoving the door open.

"JJ, that's not fair!" Ruby yelled, tears shining in her eyes. "You can't just--"

"Oh, I can't? Ruby Routledge, everyone, who's tryin' to tell me what I can and can't do? Get off your high horse."

"I'm not on a goddamn high horse, JJ! What the fuck is up with you?!" Ruby yelled, the pair now standing in the yard and having a full-on screaming match right in front of the open living room window. "Why are you reacting so poorly to this song?"

"It's about a rich bitch, Ruby!" JJ yelled, getting in her face. "A rich bitch who won't give any love to a guy who lives with his mom, who doesn't have money, and doesn't have a goddamn car! And I don't have any of those things, so why the hell would you give me love? I'm just a fucking scrub!"

Ruby let out an incredulous laugh. "JJ! Come on! I meant--"

"It doesn't matter what you meant," JJ says as it starts to rain. "It matters what you said. And you said, and I quote, 'this song is literally my life.'" He wipes his face, black and white makeup smudging with the water.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, JJ, okay? I'm really sorry," Ruby said, taking a small step forward. "I just meant that it's funny, okay? That I have this gorgeous scrub all to myself, JJ, because I wouldn't have it any other way. Come back inside, okay? Please, for me? You can pick a terrible song about women and say it's about me."

JJ made a face, "Sure. Fine."

"I really am sorry, JJ," Ruby said, pushing JJ's hair back and leaning up to kiss his makeup-ruined face. "I love you..."

"Okay, okay," JJ said wish a small laugh, pushing Ruby away so he could properly kiss her lips, I love you, too. And I'm sorry I overreacted."

"It's okay. Hey, what song are you gonna pick?"

"Lights Down Low," JJ smirked, "By Bei Maejor."

"JJ!"

[pier-carlo-universe]

Intelligenza artificiale e oftalmologia: un manifesto per il futuro della salute visiva. Arezzo

Oculisti e innovazione: le nuove frontiere dell'AI nello screening della retinopatia diabetica e nelle diagnosi oftalmologiche.

Oculisti e innovazione: le nuove frontiere dell’AI nello screening della retinopatia diabetica e nelle diagnosi oftalmologiche. Arezzo, 26 novembre 2024 – Nel corso del 19º Forum Risk Management di Arezzo, gli oculisti di AIMO (Associazione Italiana Medici Oculisti) hanno presentato un importante manifesto sull’utilizzo dell’intelligenza artificiale (AI) in oftalmologia, con un focus specifico…

[medievalandfantasymelee]

THE HOT MEDIEVAL & FANTASY MEN MELEE

SECOND ROUND: 7th Tilt

Will Scarlett, BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-2009) VS. Sir Guy of Gisbourne, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Propaganda

Will Scarlett, BBC’s Robin Hood (2006-2009) Portrayed by: Harry Lloyd Defeated Opponents: - George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence [David Oakes], The White Queen (2013) - Francesco de Pazzi [Matteo Martari], Medici (2016-2019)

“YOU know Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen and Every Other Shitheel in Every British-cast Show Ever, but I will forever know him as Mr. Herbert pocket in Great Expectations, and as Will Scarlett--both of whom stand as testament to the fact that Harry Lloyd can play characters that aren't shit-rags every once in a damn while. And OKAY, so he doesn't necessarily live up to the legacy of the "gaily feathered bird" like other Will Scarletts, but he's got OTHER virtues. He's SMART. He's PRETTY. He's got a little bit of the BROODING. He's got the knowing of woodcrafts: he can get you in and out of anywhere you wanna go and he can carve you things. He's a voice of reason, he has a plan when Robin doesn’t, and a dry wit--maybe a stick in the mud sometimes, but that's O-KAY, he's CUTEEE.”

Sir Guy of Gisbourne, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) Portrayed by: Basil Rathbone Defeated Opponents: - Nasir [Mark Ryan], Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986) - Finan [Mark Rowley], The Last Kingdom (2015-2022)

“Justice for Basil Rathbone's superlative Hot Villain Energy, his incredible fencing calves, his smirk, his sneer, and his really quite distractingly hot hands.”

Additional Propaganda Under the Cut

Additional Propaganda

For Will Scarlett:

For Sir Guy:

“The fencing in this movie is SO GOOD and that’s mostly because Basil was an Olympic pro and made everybody else look so good. I’ve never seen faster fencing than Guy and Robin Hood in the final sequence!”

“Although Prince John and the Sheriff are the leading antagonists, Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy is the perfect foil for Errol Flynn’s Robin. Sir Guy is an archetypal hot aristocratic villain, with charisma, sword fighting skill, and a hard, arrogant edge.”

[facts-i-just-made-up]

Who was Paracelsus?

Paracelsus was the screen name of Philippus Bombastus Romastus Fantastus Supercalafragalisticexpialadastus von South-Stuttgart-Next-To-The-University-Cafeteria-With-The-Zig-Zag-Roof. His name Paracelsus literally means "Better than Celsus." We do not know who Celsus may have been, but the name is likely a reference to St. Jerome Para-Ezra of Baton Rouge, who was known in his time to have been far better than Ezra.

Paracelsus invented many of the medical techniques used from medieval times to the modern medical revolution, including bleeding, leeching, exsanguination, draining blood from the patient, and ultra-hemorrhagic-cleansing. He also coined the phrase "Only the dose determines the poison," as well as its corollary, "You can eat anything, just some things you can only eat once," and the less impressive but better known, "He who smelt it, dealt it." This was all considered an advancement over the old theory of bodily humors, which is why Paracelsus's friends all said he was a humorless bastard, or so he kept claiming.

Paracelsus was married in a Rosicrucian ceremony based on the Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz, which was of course preceded by Chemical Engagement and a Chemical Romance involving a black parade, the theatrical faking of several deaths, and a great deal of sodium (a mass scientifically abbreviated as Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na). To whom he was married is a matter of much debate, with potential spouses speculated to include Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth II, Martin Luther, Galileo, Ivan the Terrible, Thomas Hobbes, John Calvin, Catherine Di Medici, the Popes Alexander V-VIII, or possibly all at once.

Paracelsus died in the 1540s after suffering a minor splinter which he treated with his own experimental technique known as "setting the patient on fire and stabbing him with a fork in his balls until he barfs then laughing at him." He was then cremated with his urn displayed at the University of Hohenheim for several centuries, until he was accidentally misplaced during an American tour and is presumed to have been used as ash in some Humboldt Fog Cheese, which was considered an affront to his Swiss heritage.

Also he apparently invented Zinc. Good job.

[kevinationnto]

The Red Queen's Request

"Your Majesties." the Mad Monk began. "May I know the reason you have sent for me?" he said, as he stood before the Red Rulers. The Red Queen, though she had her usual glare on, was pleased to recieve a devout loyalist. The Red Prince, who never was interested in the running of the kingdom, looked on, bored. The Red King could only sigh sadly and stare at the floor for the entire duration of the exchange, still despondent over the loss of Eggbert and his very good advice.

"Very well." The Red Queen replied. "Now that that NO-GOOD, TREASONOUS EGG-" she nearly yelled, before instantly regaining her composure, "-is gone from our court, we are in desperate need of an adviser who will help us keep our court, and our kingdom, in line. I have not forgotten your words to us."

The Mad Monk answered her, "Your Majesties, I have told you a million times. The kingdom is all well and good, and your court will remain loyal to you. They won't ever revolt, they all want to keep their heads. But..." the Mad Monk continued, "... since I see that your request is a most urgent matter, I would be foolish to refuse. I have no love for that egg, and I have what we need to keep everyone in line."

The Mad Monk, you see, cared nothing for the Red Royal Court or Wonderland, or her people. He especially despised Eggbert- him and his soft-heartedness. The Red Rulers had every right to be strict and stern with their courtiers and their people. Who was Eggbert to interfere? Eggbert cared nothing about climbing the ranks. He was only dedicated to peace, service and very good advice. The Mad Monk only wanted more and more power, and to watch Wonderland burn with chaos and disorder. And although he had nothing to do with Eggbert's banishment, the Mad Monk was only too happy to fill in the power vacuum he'd left.

Then, he said the words the Red Queen wanted to hear- "Therefore... I will be humbled and honored to assist you, as your most trusted adviser, and confidant."

"Good." the Red Queen said ominously. "With you by our side, I do not doubt that all of Wonderland shall kneel before us!"

Some Proposed Headcanons of Mine

When I saw the Mad Monk, I was immediately wowed. @thealmightyfruitcake is a genius. The perfect villain to be beside the Red Rulers! As I read his character card, ideas flared up in my head. Ideas that fit perfectly with the story of Eggbert, my own OC.

I then came up with a headcanon- the Mad Monk, upon becoming the Red Rulers' top guy, would undo everything Eggbert did. The Red Rulers' abuses against their courtiers, including Ragthy Ann, would increase tenfold, he'd steadily increase his power and influence over the Red Royals, and Eggbert would not be there to stop it. However, being the tricky trickster he is, the Mad Monk would secretly defect to the White Queen before the Red Queen's defeat. After the Red Rulers' exile, he bitterly watched Eggbert assist the White Rulers in reforming and ruling benevolently over Wonderland. But when Eggbert eventually left to spread reformist ideas to other lands, he hatched a plot to rescue the Red Rulers from the Nothing Atoll. He unfortunately succeeded, setting the stage for...

... the War of the Looking Glass.

But it'll be some time before my next comics arrive.

My mind immediately highlighted parallels with the sacking of Dr. Dillamond and his replacement by Dr. Nikidik, (Wicked) and the histories of the following countries:

🇬🇧: The Good Parliament of 1376 did its best to reduce corruption in the Royal Council, but John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, had the Bad Parliament, which undid what the Good Parliament did, convene the next year.

🇮🇹: Supporters of Girolamo Savonarola, the Mad Monk of Florence and a fierce critic of the Medici, burned thousands of artworks and other objects in the Bonfire of the Vanities of 1497.

🇵🇭: In 1871, Carlos Maria dela Torre, the beloved Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines, was replaced by the tyrannical Rafael Izquierdo, who reversed the reforms dela Torre had instituted. This led to the Cavite Mutiny and the execution of the GomBurZa.

🇷🇺: After the Russian Revolution of 1905, Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin enacted a series of reforms but continued repressing would-be revolutionaries.

Sorry I bored you, but I have an uncontrollable love of history!

I hope you like the comic I spent a couple of hours on. And as always, feel free to ask me questions about Eggbert and anything related to him!

Wonderland AU and Red Prince belong to @endomentendo

The Mad Monk belongs to @thealmightyfruitcake

[nemonoonesuch]

Ergo Proxy Opening: In search for the artwork's source

Ergo Proxy's Opening is a fascinating piece of artwork characterized by it's kaleidoscopic mix of scenery, images from the series and subtle references to pieces of art and literature. The whole design reminds me a bit of the style of Kyle Cooper in intro sequences like Se7en . Some are very clear while others are quite cryptic and frankly unreadable. This post will summarize a few of those references and their sources:

Holy Images

First we have the apparition of some glass panels and a statue in a column, and the image of some industrial complex. The statue have a chalice and appears to be a young man, and an eagle at his feet. Those are the attributes of Saint John the Younger. With that in mind, the search was easier... and after almost 14 hours of reading and searching, I found two of the three artworks.

Both the statue and the stained glass comes from the The Cathédrale Saints-Michel-et-Gudule at Brussels.

Stained Glass, probably made by Jean-Baptiste Capronnier (c. 1870):

Another decorated window appears, this time with a more modern artwork. The decorated window was designed by Alfons Mucha, c. 1930, for the reconstruction work for St. Vitas Cathedral in Prague.

The Power of Seven and the Lapis Philosoficus

The occasional image of complex astrological or alchemical heptagrams flashes many times during the opening, being this one the most clear snap I could get. The text in the center of it reads "Ma Te Ri A Pri Ma *" that confirms the alchemical nature of the illustration.

After many attempts to find the source of the illustration i had to dive into my older alchemy notes. Suddenly I remember the works of a notorious alchemist obsessed with number seven, none other than Sir Isaac Newton. And Eureka!

the image comes from a set of notes on the processes behind the achievement of the philosopher's stone, titled "Lapis Philosophicus cum suis rotis elementaribus" and dated to c. 1690

Landnámabók

Some of the decorations that appears on the opening comes directly from the icelandic text of settlers, a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement (landnám) of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE.

La Glorification de l'Art

This one was relatively easy to find. It is a quite common allegorical representation.

The building housing the Royal Museum of Ancient Art in Brussels is a masterpiece designed by Alphonse Balat, the Court's favorite architect, the sculpture flanking the main entrance is the work of Paul de Vigne, and was made around 1885. La Glorification de l'Art depicts Art as a winged youth, accompanied by Glory and Fame. It also appears on the opening. Art, represented by a winged man, receives from the hand of Glory a palm and a crown; while the Fame, with trumpet and bumper, publishes her exploits.

Rhyme 247

notice the words on the right side of the screenshot: "e vero", "Non Veder" "Gran Ventura"

Michelangelo Buonarroti was an exceptionally good artist, and a passionate poet too, even when he preferred to keep most of his literary production quite obscure. One of his works for the Sagrestía Nuova at the Medici Chapel in Florence was a representation of the Night, placed over the tomb of Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Nemours. Night was singularly praised by his contemporaries, especially Giovanni Strozzi, who dedicated an epigram on 1544:

La Notte che tu vedi in sì dolci attidormire, fu da un Angelo scolpitain questo sasso e, perché dorme, ha vita:destala, se nol credi, e parleratti.

Michelangelo responded in another epigram, today known as Rhyme 247:

Caro m'è 'l sonno, e più l'esser di sasso,mentre che 'l danno e la vergogna dura;non veder, non sentir m'è gran ventura; però non mi destar, deh, parla basso

This Rhyme appears on Ergo Proxy in another occasion:

The poem as appears on the beginning of the first episode

NIGHT DAWN DAY DUSK

Donov Mayer's Collective Entourage are embodied by the four sculptures from the allegorical monument (Sagrestía Nuova) of Michellangelo. A pair of the statues were located over the sarcophagus of Giuliano de' Medici, (Day and the Night) and Lorenzo de' Medici (Dusk (or Twilight) and the Dawn) respectively. On the series, each have the name of one prominent occidental philosopher:

Lacan: as Night, Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese), Barbara Goodson (English)

Derrida: as Dawn, Voiced by: Yōko Sōmi (Japanese), Melodee Spevack (English)

Husserl: as Day, Voiced by: Hidekatsu Shibata (Japanese), Michael McConnohie(English)

Berkeley: as Dusk, Voiced by: Yuu Shimaka (Japanese), Doug Stone(English)

[Unknown]

Some artworks or pieces of literature used are still unknown (for me)

The industrial landscape

The cursive text

And this arabic/persian texts

Thank you so much for reading so far

[juby06]

[cristina-t]

Chapter 2

There was a hurricane coming in. Hurricane Agatha is what they're calling it. And Sage is absolutely terrified. Yea, she loves the rain and storms but a hurricane? It's an unknown thing to her, that's what's scary about it. 

"I have to head out before the hurricane gets worse. I don't want to get stuck in it." Sage looks over at John B as he starts to laugh at that. To them hurricanes are normal, especially type 1's. But he's not one to make fun of fears, knowing his are equally, if not more stupid. 

"I'll drive you, it's already raining and the kook castles are far." Secretly, he was actually pretty happy to drive her. He'll never admit it to any of the pogues, especially JJ, but he loves her company. It's like the absence of chaos. Little did he know, she had the same feeling whenever they were together. 

The ride to her house was peaceful. Serene, The only sound being the rain hitting against the top of the Twinkie. There wasn't much talking but that's normal, they can talk to each other normally in groups but as soon as they're alone it gets hard. Both always afraid of saying the wrong thing and ruining the peace.

"Thanks for the ride, don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." He reaches over and ruffles her hair with his hands, causing her to immediately smile, all of the worry washing away. 

"I'll see you tomorrow Sage." At that, she gets out of the van and runs up to the front door to avoid the rain, now pouring down. As soon as she gets inside, the tension feels off. Dirty shoes being by the entryway, mud being tracked up the stairs, lamps on even though no one's in the room. 

Her families not at the dining room table, even though they always have dinner at exactly 6 o'clock. The tables not set, dead petals from the sunflowers resting next to the vase. It's messy. Her house is never messy, not with her mom around. It's like she can sense a mess, a single speck of dirt on the floor and it's gone in a second. Normally.

She goes up to the second floor, her eyes stuck on the mud tracks. The mud in the carpet, the way sections of it has already hardened showing it's been there for a while. 

It's abnormally quiet. The only light being on upstairs being the one all the way down the hall. The light from the all too familiar dinosaur lamp from her 6 year old brothers room. 

The house has never really been unique. It feels more like a museum than a house. Rich paintings that any normal person wouldn't buy hanging on the walls where most families would have family pictures. 

She goes into his room, Reagan being curled up in a tight ball on his bed with a bag of chips. Foods never allowed in any of their rooms. Especially chips.

"Reagan where is everyone?" She sits down next to him on his bed as he turns over, his eyes red and tears stained on his puffed up cheeks. 

"Mommy and daddy started fighting, they both left." That wasn't very surprising to her, the fight at least, that's normal. If there isn't a fight between any of them it isn't a normal day. But, throughout all this time they've never left him home alone. 

She ended up falling asleep in his room, knowing that as soon as she left he'd wake back up, neither of the parents getting home throughout the entire night. 

[tiny-librarian]

Royal Birthdays for today, April 13th:

Louis II, Duke of Bavaria, 1229

Margaret III, Countess of Flanders, 1350

Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, 1519

Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden, 1573

Leopold John, Austrian Archduke, 1716

Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, 1747

Gennaro, Prince of Naples and Sicily, 1780

[ladystarksneedle]

Do you have any art/painting recommendation which are very teen aegon coded

From top left: (descriptions are from left to right side)

Detail of frescoes in the Hall of the Months, Palazzo Schifanoia,

Portrait of Guiliano De Medici by Benozzo di Lese di Sandro Gozzoli

Carlo Crivelli catalogue raisonné, 1975 Bovero

Portrait of a Young Man Cosmè Tura (Cosimo di Domenico di Bonaventura)

Boy with Wine Glass and Flute Jacob Gerritszoon[a] Cuyp or Cuijp 1652

Rembrandt van Rijn, Man with a Hawk, 1643

A late portrait of the two sons of the 3rd Duke of Lennox, Lord John Stuart and his Brother, Lord Bernard Stuart; Anthony van Dyck.

Portrait of two brothers by Henri Gascar (1635 –1701)

[blueiscoool]

Michelangelo’s Masterpieces Are Getting a High-Tech Makeover

An experimental exhibition in Denmark is intended to spark debate about the future use of 3D-printed replicas in museums.

When it comes to critically-acclaimed museum shows, a high premium is usually placed on the uniqueness and rarity of the objects on display. Back in the day, however, copies of an ancient masterpiece would often have to do. This was how the marvels of Greek art made their way to workshops across the Roman empire, in due course influencing the Renaissance masters and Western culture at large. Not only would ideas spread far via reproduction, but otherwise site-specific art could be appreciated in new contexts.

Carrying this spirit into the 21st century, the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK) will present the most comprehensive Michelangelo exhibition since 1875, featuring a groundbreaking blend of 19th-century plaster casts and state-of-the-art 3D-printed replicas. Opening March 29, the show will reassemble scattered masterpieces and showcase works that rarely, if ever, leave their original locations, offering visitors a unique opportunity to experience the Renaissance master’s art.

Plaster cast after Michelangelo Buonarroti, Medici Madonna. Original made ca. 1526–1532, cast in 1897. Photo: SMK – National Gallery of Denmark.

Using technology from Factum Arte in Madrid, the museum will enhance its collection of 19th-century plaster casts of Michelangelo masterpieces, such as the head of David and the Medici Madonna, with newly created 3D-printed replicas. These replicas provide access to works that are otherwise unattainable due to immobility or location. For instance, Michelangelo’s depictions of Saints Peter, Augustine, Paul, and Gregory are fixed elements of the Piccolomini Altarpiece in Siena, Italy installed so high that they cannot be easily viewed up close. Other works, like Cupid, are in high demand and geographically restricted, currently on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from France until 2029.

The show’s curator, Matthias Wivel, said he is not concerned that the use of replicas might be off-putting to audiences. “We will achieve a beautiful exhibition with them that will be compelling to the public,” he said. “The appreciation and study of art has always relied heavily on reproductions. Without them both would be much more limited. Used responsibly, there is huge potential and value in using reproductions.”

He conceded that the show is an experiment, and he will measure its success on its ability to “stimulate debate and prompt refinement or rejection, and innovation.”

Perhaps the strongest argument for the use of reproductions is greater freedom to build art historical narratives unbounded by practical limitations. For example, the show in Denmark will bring together several pieces originally produced for the tomb of Julius II that have since scattered across different locations. These include the Boboli Prisoners at the Accademia and Genius of Victory at the Palazzo Vecchio, both in Florence, and Rachel and Leah at San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome.

Plaster cast after Michelangelo Buonarroti, Day. Original ca. 1524-26, cast 1897. The Royal Cast Collection, SMK – National Gallery of Denmark Photo: SMK.

Factum Arte have also been able to reconstruct Infant John the Baptist from Ubedà, which was smashed during the Spanish Civil War. Though the statue has been restored, it still bears the scars of its destruction; the new 3D model was made by referencing archival photographs of the work from before the restoration. Wivel hopes it will “convey some of the wonder of the original.”

The exhibition will also reveal how much reproduction technologies have evolved over the centuries. According to Wivel, Factum Arte’s facsimiles made using digital techniques are accurate down to the micron level, resulting in pieces of “much higher fidelity than the plasters, in that they reproduce the color, surface, and detailing such as veining, of the marble.”

He also noted that digital facsimiles like those made by Factum Arte provide highly detailed records of artworks that may be valuable to researchers and restorers for centuries to come. Wivel noted that traveling as part of exhibition loans can cause significant physical strain on fragile objects as well. In other contexts, high-tech replicas have also played an important role in facilitating repatriation agreements, allowing museums to keep a copy of an object that they decide to return.

Together, these reproductions, both old and new, will enable the most comprehensive monographic exhibition dedicated to Michelangelo since 1875, when the 400th anniversary of his birth was celebrated in Florence. Running through August 31, the exhibition will also include a selection of Michelangelo’s original drawings, correspondence, models in wax and clay, and several bronzes made after models that are now lost.

Plaster cast after Michelangelo Buonarroti, Head of David. Original made in 1501-1503, cast in 1890. Photo: SMK – National Gallery of Denmark.

By Jo Lawson-Tancred.