The Vatican studies 20 unpublished works by Michelangelo

The Vatican Scientific committee with the task of “evaluating any insights into the work of Buonarroti“. This was confirmed by the spokesperson of the press office of the Holy See Matteo Bruni in reference to the news spread by some media outlets regarding the alleged existence of a series of works by Michelangelo Buonarroti not known so far.

The organization came into operation as part of the celebrations for the 550 years since birth of the artist (1475-2025). The study hypothesis taken into consideration attributes to Michelangelo Buonarroti around twenty previously unknown works and is included in a research conducted by the independent scholar Valentina Salerno. This is a study dedicated to the reconstruction of the last phase of the artist’s life through documents from Italian and foreign archives.

According to this reconstruction, Michelangelo it would not have destroyed, as historiography has long believeda significant part of his sketches, drawings and artefacts preserved in the Roman house, but he would instead have entrusted them to pupils and trusted people with the intention of keeping them safe.

The hypothesis of unknown works

The materials would have been placed in an environment described by a document as a room protected by multiple keys, which remained inaccessible for over four centuries. On this basis, the researcher hypothesizes the existence of around twenty works attributable to the master’s hand. The study was supported by Lateran Canons Regular of the Blessed Sacrament and the teacher Michele Rak.

In relation to these hypotheses, the cardinal archpriest of the St. Peter’s Basilica, Mauro Gambettiestablished a Scientific committee composed of experts from some of the major international museums and research centers. There San Pietro factorythrough its Communications Office, specified that the Committee was established as part of the celebrations for the 550 years since the birth of Michelangelo (1475-2025) and has the general task of evaluating any proposals for study and in-depth analysis of the artist’s work.

In this context, the Committee also examined the research hypothesis that is the subject of the news, without this implying, at present, a scientific recognition of the proposed attributions. The question therefore remains at the level ofworking hypothesis: any confirmations can only arrive at the end of rigorous checks, based on documentary, stylistic and scientific analyzes shared by the community of scholars.