Julien Stock on Discovering a New Michelangelo

The landmark discovery of a work by one of history’s greatest draftsmen

Julien Stock on Discovering a New Michelangelo

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Drawing in brown ink showing the side view of a standing woman, head downcast and hand partially covering her face, and covered in thick drapery

Study of a Mourning Woman, about 1500–1505, Michelangelo Buonarroti. Pen and brown ink, heightened with white lead opaque watercolor, 10 1/4 × 6 1/2 in. The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2017.78

By James Cuno

Sep 5, 2018 39:31 min

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In the late 1990s, Old Master drawings expert Julien Stock made an incredible discovery—a previously unknown Michelangelo drawing.

Hiding in an unmarked book at England’s Castle Howard, the study of a mourning woman from early in Michelangelo’s career had not been seen for generations. This drawing is now part of the Getty Museum’s collection. In this episode, Stock tells the story of this discovery and the process of verifying the authenticity of his remarkable find.

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