March 6 marks the 550th anniversary since the birth of Michelangelo Buonarroti, and the Opera di Santa Croce teamed up with the Opificio delle Pietre Dure to restore the Buonarroti family tombstone. A ceremony takes place at 10am on March 6 in collaboration with the Accademia delle Arti e del Disegno and the City Council, where a triple laurel wreath will be placed on the monument dedicated to the artist. Speakers include Giovanni Bettarini, the city’s councillor for culture, alongside Cristina Acidini, current president of both the Opera di Santa Croce and the Accademia delle Arti e del Disegno, who is also set to give a talk about Michelangelo at the Accademia Gallery on March 10 as part of the year-long calendar celebrating Michelangelo’s anniversary.
Various Tuscan stones were used in the tombstone, including white Carrara marble, a blue-grey marble called Bardiglio, yellow marble from Siena, albarese stone, red marble from Maremma and Medici breccia. The tombstone consists of three panels of Carrara bordered by a band of green serpentine from Prato. The side panels feature two shield-shaped coat of arms decorated with two golden stripes in a blue field and a red heraldic symbol recalling the House of Anjou and Guelph allegiance. At the center, aligned with the burial hatch, is a decorative vase.
Over time, the inlaid design suffered damage due to wear, exacerbated by the devastating flood of 1966. The first step of the restoration process consisted of a deep clean, followed by the reinforcement of fractured and deteriorated stone sections, filling in minor gaps, and an intervention on a large missing portion in the left panel.
The restoration was overseen by Lorenza Alcaro from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, with contributions from the Mosaic Restoration sector (led by Anna Patera) and the Stone Materials sector (led by Riccardo Gennaioli), along with the Scientific Laboratory, which provided diagnostic support.
The Buonarroti family had a strong bond to the Santa Croce neighborhood where they lived, which is why they established their family altar in the Basilica in 1570, in front of the tombstone and next to the monument designed by Giorgio Vasari. The latter underwent restoration recently in 2018 thanks to a fundraising initiative which involved over one hundred donors from all over the world.
If you wish to attend the 10am ceremony, reservation is required. (Currently booked out)
