Work
A unique work was created to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the inauguration of the Sistine Chapel in a limited, numbered edition in five series of 998 copies. A sculpture inspired by one of the most powerful images in the history of art, The Creation of Adam.
In this lost-wax bronze sculpture the two hands, one of God and one of Adam, emerge from an arch engraved with the signature and a quote from the brilliant Florentine artist. The sculpture is attached to a travertine marble base and numbered by hand. The entirely handcrafted process is repeated with each of the sculptures, so each piece is a unique work of art with a notarised certificate of authenticity.
The sculpture also comes with a large-format book where readers can discover the work of the Renaissance master, featuring the four arts in which he excelled: poetry, painting, architecture, and sculpture. This unique book, a masterpiece itself, includes studies of experts on the artist to help us explore the legacy of Michelangelo and what painting the the Sistine Chapel meant for the artist.
All the details of this unique work have been meticulously designed, as evidenced by the case in which the sculpture and Michelangelo volume are presented. Its practical yet elegant design serves to protect and keep this exclusive work.
Gallery
The production process
An original full-size sculpture in modelling clay is created, allowing the artist to sculpt in greater detail.
A silicone-lined negative mould of the original is created and reinforced on its outer surface with plaster, reproducing the features of the sculpture.
The mould is sealed by hand and filled with cooled melted wax to create an exact wax replica of the original.
The resulting wax sculpture is worked by hand to hide any imperfections from the moulding process and smooth out the details.
It is coated with heat-resistant ceramic clay, so that the sculpture can withstand the extreme temperatures at which the metal melts.
Molten bronze (1,200°C) is poured into what is now a ceramic mould. It is at this point that the wax melts and is "lost".
Once the bronze has cooled, the mould is removed to release the casting, the sprues are cut off, and the figure is sand-blasted to clean.
Each sculpture is individually hand polished to ensure flawless perfection.
To complete the sculpture, the hands are soldered to the arch and the artist's signature and phrase are engraved.
A patina is finally applied to give the sculpture a unique, shiny finish. Each reproduction is numbered by hand in the semicircle.
Technical specifications
Case
- Size: 51.1 x 41.3 x 20.4 cm
- Porexpan interior in high-density grey tones.
- Foam insert for the sculpture and outer section for the book.
- It contains the Michelangelo volume, The Hands from the Creation of Adam sculpture, and the numbered notarised certificate.
Sculpture - The Hands from the Creation of Adam
- Lost-wax bronze sculpture.
- Hand numbering 1 to 998 in five series.
- Engraved signature and a quote from Michelangelo on the arch
- Travertine marble plinth
- Aprox. weight: 4.5 kg
- Size: sculpture: 29 x 10 cm; arch diameter: 33 cm; plinth: 10 x 22 x 4 cm
Book - Michelangelo
- Format: 38 x 28 cm
- 192 pages
- 5-ink printing
- 170 g Gallery Gloss art stucco paper
- 150 g semi-matte stucco and laminated cover
- Binding: 3 mm hardcover lined and laminated
- Flat spine sewn with black Setalux Brilliant fabric and screen printed