In 1532, Michelangelo
was 57 when he met the 17-year-old Tommaso dei Cavalieri, who came from a
well-respected patrician family. The artist was immediately and utterly smitten
by the youth's beauty, distinguished appearance, and intellect, and their
meeting marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Michelangelo sent
Tommaso sonnets, letters, and drawings, in which he expressed his love for him.
He promoted the young man's artistic interest by teaching him how to draw and
by imparting architectural knowledge to him. They were also lovers.
Michelangelo presented
as a gift to Tommaso a series of drawings on classical-mythological themes.
These included The Rape of Ganymede, The Punishment of Tityus, The Fall of
Phaethon. All these heroes symbolized the "fire that burned in him".
According to Vasari, the master created many other drawings for Tommaso, among
them the "divine heads" in black and red chalk, such as the portrait
of Cleopatra.
The works that
Michelangelo dedicated to Tommaso possess an extraordinary refinement and
decorative ingenuity that certainly reflect the feelings of the master for his
beloved friend. The years between 1532 and 1534 marked a phase of beauty and
grace in Michelangelo's drawings.
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