Michelangelo Buonarrotti the Younger

Who was Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger? 

He was born in Florence in 1568 and died there in 1646. His long life spanned the reigns of five Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany: Cosimo I (1537-1574), Francesco I (1574- 1587), Ferdinando I (1587-1609), Cosimo II (1609-1621) and Ferdinando II (1621-1670). 

For decades, Michelangelo the Younger played a decisive role in the cultural and political life of the Medici Court, assiduously building the Medici brand throughout Italy and Europe. Best known as a poet, playwright and all-purpose man of letters, he was also a skilled courtier and a tireless networker, in touch with the most influential patrons and artists of his time.  

What did it mean to be Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger—great-nephew, heir and namesake of the Divine Michelangelo (1475-1564)? The Elder Michelangelo—painter of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, sculptor of the David and architect of the Laurentian Library—was a force of nature and perhaps the most compelling artist who ever lived.  This was a great heritage to be sure, but also a crushing burden. 

Nowhere do we feel this tension more keenly than in the Casa Buonarroti in Florence— Michelangelo the Younger’s own house but also a laboriously crafted shrine to his great ancestor.  Where did one Michelangelo stop and the other begin? Did the creator of the Casa Buonarroti ever know? 

The story of the Casa Buonarroti is also the story of L’Ebreo (The Jew), the Second Michelangelo’s strangest and most intriguing piece of writing. He conceived this uproarious comedy for the Carnival of 1614 at the Medici Court, then worked, reworked and ultimately abandoned it—a brilliant failure, it would seem. 

Centuries later, I discovered the author’s torturously revised draft at home in the Casa Buonarroti. One question led to another, spurring me to write the book Carnival Blood and adapt L’Ebreo for the modern stage. You can assess the results, right here on this site.
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