The Sistine Secrets
Page 29
With his genius, Michelangelo built many bridges of the spirit. He infused his ceiling fresco with Kabbalistic images that reflected the Kabbalistic pavement design below. He linked the Jewish ancestral tree to Jesus. He connected pagan philosophy and design with Judaism and Christianity. He joined his love of male beauty to his love of God. He narrated the entire story of the universe, beginning with creation, in a way that makes us realize humanity’s common ancestry.
Michelangelo knew that for the Church to fulfill the will of God, it had to become a paradigm of true brotherhood. There had to be a bridge between rich and poor, between privileged and downtrodden, between those who ostensibly spoke for God and those who desperately needed divine assistance. Thus, Michelangelo filled the chapel with hidden messages of his passionate loves and his righteous rages, along with mystic symbols of divine justice and divine mercy. For him, the Sistine was indeed the Sanctuary, the neck of the world, but more than that, it was “The Bridge”—the bridge meant to unite people with God, with their fellow humans, and, perhaps most difficult of all, with their own spiritual selves.
All the world is a very narrow bridge / The point is this—to have no fear.
These are the words of an ancient Hebrew song. They have become more appropriate with every passing generation. Almost exactly five hundred years ago, a tormented soul named Michelangelo built a very narrow bridge in the middle of the air in the middle of a chapel in the middle of Rome. This resulted in a masterwork that would change the world of art forever. However, that was not his goal. What this lone artist wanted to do was construct a giant bridge of the spirit, spanning different faiths, cultures, eras, and sexualities. With this book, we humbly hope to lay the last piece in place—to make his bridge, his message, and his dream complete.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Jacob went along his way and angels of G-d met him….
—GENESIS 32:2
Behold, I am sending an angel ahead of you, to protect you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.
—EXODUS 23:20
When journeying, a traditional Jew recites these verses as part of the traveler’s prayers. While we were traveling on the path of this book, many “angels” helped us along the way as well.
We both want to thank our resolute agent, Don Gastwirth, for his passionate enthusiasm for this project from the beginning, to Michael Medved for recommending him, and to Hugh Van Dusen for being our “good shepherd.”
Words alone can’t fully express the depths of our gratitude—and admiration—to the wonderful team at HarperOne that brought it all together and helped make it happen. We have the feeling that Michelangelo himself must have pulled heavenly strings to link us with people like our incomparable editor and unflagging friend, the maestro of the HarperOne bottega, Roger Freet, and his assistants Kris Ashley and Jan Weed; the amazing Claudia Boutote and Patricia Rose, who continue to surprise us with their ability to get the news out about the importance and historic significance of this book; to Terri Leonard, Lisa Zuniga, and Ralph Fowler for their magnificent production work and interior design; and to Jim Warner and Claudine Mansour for a cover design the likes of which has never been seen before and which we are certain will become a collector’s item.
Heartfelt thanks to Jack Pesso for bringing us together, and to Milly and Vito Arbib for hosting our crucial first meeting.
Roy would like to add special thanks to many friends and scholars for specific insights, especially Raffaele Donati and Simone Mimun, and to Francesco Giuffrida for his invaluable technical advice and moral support. Also, to David Walden and Brenda Bohen and the cultural association Rome for Jews (www.romeforjews.com) for their vital support, and to Luca Del Giudice for hosting during my stays in Rome. Mille grazie to the gracious staff of the Vatican Museums, and to the Halfon, Voci, and Bassano families for their gentilezza that has made Rome a home for me. Toda rabba to my coauthor for the enormous honor and pleasure of learning and writing together. Of course, no mere thanks could suffice for all the love and support from my two guardian angels, Martha and Marvin Usdin. Last, a thank-you to the skeptics for asking the most difficult and thought-provoking questions.
In addition to the above, Rabbi Blech wants to express profound thanks to Gary Krupp, whose dedication to the ideals of Pave the Way—the organization he founded to “embrace the similarities and savor the differences” of every religion in order to foster brotherhood and understanding between all faiths—made possible my being in Rome, meeting with Pope John Paul II, and ultimately getting together with Roy on what I truly consider a divinely ordained project. Special angels behind the scene were Dr. Ed Steinberg, Norman Weisfeld, and Jim Reckert. There are no words for me to convey my respect, admiration, and friendship for my coauthor; working with him was both a joy and a privilege. Finally, not a day goes by that I do not thank God for the gift of my wife, who by her constant encouragement made all my accomplishments possible and with her love made them meaningful.
—Benjamin Blech
Roy Doliner
NOTES
Chapter 2: The Lost Language of Art
1. Federico Zeri, Titian: Sacred and Profane Love (Rizzoli, 1998).
2. Francesca Marini, Uffizi (Rizzoli, 2006), 85.
Chapter 3: A Rebel Is Born
1. Giorgio Vasari, The Lives of the Artists, translated with an introduction and notes by Julia Conaway Bondanella and Peter Bondanella (Oxford Univ. Press, 1991).
Chapter 4: A Very Special Education
1. Roberto G. Salvadori, The Jews of Florence (Giuntina Press, 2001), 30.
2. Matilde Battistini. Losapevi dell’arte (book series under the direction of Stefano Zuffi) Simboli e allegorie-prima parte (Mondadori Electa, 2002), 6.
3. Ross King, Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling (Penguin Books, 2003), 22.
4. Jack Lang, Il Magnifico (Mondadori, 2002).
5. Ascanio Condivi. Vita di Michelagnolo Buonarroti (Giovanni Nencioni, 1998).
6. Ascanio Condivi. Vita di Michelagnolo Buonarroti (Giovanni Nencioni, 1998).
Chapter 5: Out of the Garden and into the World
1. Howard Hibbard, Michelangelo (Westview Press, 1974), 16.
Chapter 6: As Fate Would Have It
1. Garabed Eknoyan, “Michelangelo: Art, Anatomy, and the Kidney,” Kidney International 57, no. 3 (2000); www.nature.com.
2. The Sistine Chapel (Edizioni Musei Vaticani, 2000), 26.
3. Wikipedia, s.v. “Sistine Chapel.”
4. James M. Saslow, trans., The Poetry of Michelangelo: An Annotated Translation (Yale Univ. Press, 1991).
Chapter 8: The Vault of Heaven
1. Philo, De Opificio Mundi, in The Works of Philo, trans. C. D. Yonge (Hendrickson, 1993).
2. Porphyry, Life of Plotinus 2.
Chapter 9: The House of David
1. Edward Maeder, “The Costumes Worn by the Ancestors of Christ,” in The Sistine Chapel: A Glorious Restoration (Abradale Press, 1999), 194–223.
Chapter 12: The Middle Path
1. Gershom Scholem, On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism (Schocken Books, 1965).
Conclusion: So, What Is the Sistine Chapel?
1. Howard Hibbard, Michelangelo (Westview Press, 1974), 105.
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Bruschini, Enrico. In the Footsteps of Popes. William Morrow, 2001.
Buranelli, Francesco, and Allen Duston, eds. The Fifteenth Century Frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Edizioni Musei Vaticani, 2003.
Busi, Giulio. Qabbalah visiva. Einaurdi, 2005.
Cheung, Luke L. “The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides.” Copyright 1997. E-mail: llc1@ st-andrews.ac.uk.
Condivi, Ascanio. Vita di Michelagnolo Buonarroti. Giovanni Nencioni, 1998.
De Vecchi, Pierluigi, ed. Th
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Eknoyan, Garabed, M.D. “Michelangelo: Art, Anatomy, and the Kidney.” Kidney International 57, no. 3 (2000). www.nature.com.
Forcellino, Antonio. Michelangelo: una vita inquieta. Laterza & Figli, 2005.
Gamba, Claudio. Musei Vaticani. R.C.S. Libri, 2006.
Garin, Eugenio. L’umanesimo italiano: filosofia e vita civile nel Rinascimento. Laterza & Figli, 1993.
Il Giardino dei Melograni: botanica e Kabbalah nei tappeti Samarkanda. Textilia ed. d’Arte, 2004.
Il Giardino di San Marco: maestri e compagni del giovane Michelangelo. Amilcare Pizzi, 1992.
Goldscheider, Ludwig. Michelangelo. Phaidon Press, 1953.
Hibbard, Howard. Michelangelo. Westview Press, 1974.
King, Ross. Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling. Penguin Books, 2003.
Lang, Jack. Il Magnifico. Mondadori, 2003.
The Last Judgment: A Glorious Restoration. Harry N. Abrams, 1997.
Maeder, Edward. “The Costumes Worn by the Ancestors of Christ,” in The Sistine Chapel: A Glorious Restoration. Abradale Press, 1999.
Marini, Francesca. Uffizi. Rizzoli, 2006.
Martinelli, Nicole. “Michelangelo: Graffiti Artist.” www.virtualitalia.com.
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Michelangelo pittore. Rizzoli, 1966.
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Partridge, Loren. Michelangelo: la volta della Cappella Sistina. S.E.I. Torino, 1996.
Pasquinelli, Barbara. Il gesto e l’espressione. Mondadori Electa, 2005.
Pocini, Willy. Le curiosità di Roma. Newton & Compton, 2005.
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Searchable Terms
Note: Entries in this index, carried over verbatim from the print edition of this title, are unlikely to correspond to the pagination of any given e-book reader. However, entries in this index, and other terms, may be easily located by using the search feature of your e-book reader.
Page references followed by fig indicate an illustration.
Abraham, 140, 145, 146
Achim (The Ancestors panel), 150, 151 fig
Adam: creation of, 145, 197–201; forbidden fruit/Tree of Knowledge and role of, 203–6; ruach HaShem (Breath) creating, 34
Adam Kadmon (primordial human), 197, 199
Adoration of the Magi (Botticelli), 60 fig
Aeneid (Virgil), 172
Alberti, Leon Battista, 59
Aldrovandi, Gianfrancesco, 88
ALEF symbolism (Sistine Chapel), 216–19
Alexander the Great, 174–75
Alexander VI, Pope (Rodrigo Borgia), 14, 89, 92, 105, 250
Alidosi, Francesco, 115–16
Ambrogio de Pretis, 36
Aminadab (The Ancestors panel), 154–55 fig
anamorphosis technique, 38, 39
The Ancestors panel (Sistine Chapel), 145–56
angels: putti (angelic figures), 117 fig, 136 fig, 226, 227 fig; same face given to serpent and, 205–6
The Annunciation (Leonardo da Vinci), 38–39 fig
Apocrypha: book of Judith in, 159–62, 165; Christianity-Judaism link through, 159
Arch of Titus (Rome), 16 fig
Aretino, Pietro, 259, 264, 284
Aristotile da Sangallo, 109
Aristotle, 64, 65
Asa (The Ancestors panel), 150, 151 fig
Asayahu, Joshua ben, 15
Avignon popes, 47–48
“Babylonian exile,” 20, 47–48
Bacchus (Michelangelo), 90 fig–91
Bandini Pietà (Michelangelo), 280 fig–81
Baroque art: Catholic Church patronage of, 25–26; coded protests and insults in, 29–31; historic use of codes in, 24–29; Masonic symbolism found in, 35
Bartholomew, Saint (Sistine Ceiling), 264, 284
Basilica of St. Peter (Vatican City), 4 fig, 106–7, 112–13, 279–80
Basilica of Santa Croce (Florence), 288, 289 fig
Battle of the Centaurs (Michelangelo), 78–80, 206
Beit-El (House of God), 12
Belvedere Apollo (statue), 48, 257 fig
Belvedere Torso (statue), 48, 257 fig
Benedict IV, Pope, 47
Benedict XVI, Pope, 150
Benny, Jack, 23–24, 28
“bet” (Kabbalist thinking on), 229
Biagio da Cesena, 271–72 fig
Biagio d’Antonio, 18, 21
Bilhères de Lagraulas, Cardinal, 91, 92
body snatchers, 84
Bologna: Michelangelo flees to, 87–88; reconquest by Julius II, 113–14
Bonfire of the Vanities, 96
book of Judith, 159–62, 165
Borgia, Cesare, 105
bottega (artist workshop), 56–57
Botticelli, Sandro: Adoration of the Magi by, 60 fig; paintings burned by, 88–89; Primavera by, 33 fig–34; Scenes from the Life of Moses by, 220–21; Sistine Chapel frescos by, 18, 20, 21, 30
Bramante, Donato, 106, 107, 112, 115
B’resheet (“in the beginning”): Jewish Torah portion (par’shiyot) of, 190; Sistine Chapel creation story, 193–97
“The Bridge” metaphor, 305–6
Brunelleschi, 51
Buonarroti family, 41–42, 244. See also Michelangelo Buonarroti
Burckhardt, Jacob, 54
Byzantium (Constantinople), 48–50
Capitoline Museum (Vatican City), 9
Carafa, Cardinal Gian Pietro, 283, 284, 285, 295. See also Paul IV, Pope Carnevali, Domenico, 207–8
Cathedral of Bologna, 113–14, 169–70
Catholic Church: art symbolism on knowledge forbidden by, 31–34; attempts to reconcile Protestants and, 283; corruption of the, 241; Council of Trent of, 283, 287; Fourth Lateran Council (1215) of, 153; Gli Spirituali movement to reform, 261–62, 283; Index of Forbidden Books compiled by, 283, 285, 295; Inquisition of, 87, 151, 283, 295; limbo concept of, 150; modern liberalization of, 156, 289–91; Neoplatonism rejected by, 64–67; nicodemismo approach to reforming the, 281; as patron of the arts, 25–26; Rome established as capital of, 48; Sistine Chapel ceiling’s “official story” by, 123–28; successionism doctrine of, 11, 19, 298; Valdés’s criticism of, 260–61; Vatican II reform of, 156, 289. See also papacy;
Vatican City (Città del Vaticano)
central strip (Sistine Chapel): Creation of Adam panel of, 197–201; Creation of Eve panel of, 201–2 fig; creation portion of, 193–97; Drunkenness of Noah panel of, 210–12; The Flood panel of, 208 fig–10; The Forbidden Fruit panel of, 202–6; general description and design of, 187, 188 fig–92; Middle Path (path of the righteous) symbolism of, 189–90; Sacrifice of Noah panel of, 190–92, 206–8