Michelangeloesque

The group of Italy and Rome on the front of the pedestal, the lion of strength on the back, and the Michelangeloesque figure of the man freeing himself from the bonds of servitude, make up a striking whole.

The bold elements of this composition include the tensely coiled serpent, the deep recession of both the boat and boatman, and the violent upward thrust of Thor, whose Michelangeloesque proportions seen from the low vantage point of the serpent itself endow him with a sense of Herculean strength.

This detail of a frieze in the New Sacristy is embellished with an idiosyncratic pattern that can be read as a series of grotesque human faces – a typical piece of Michelangeloesque wit and invention.