Resumen de Ipotesi su un disegno michelangiolesco del foglio XIII, 175 v, dell'Archivio Buonarroti
On a folio from Buonarroti Archive in Florence (XIII, 175v), under some verses by Michelangelo, we find a sketch which has always been a real riddle for scholars. Various hypotheses have been formulated so far, but none seems quite convincing. The article suggests that the drawing may refer to the architectural structure of the vault of the Sistine Chapel and that Michelangelo executed it during the preparatory stage of his fresco work, before the scaffolding had even been set up. The sketch, presumably dating from no earlier than the spring of 1598, may have served as a reminder and jotting for the artist when he was studying the surfaces to be painted and how to arrange the scaffolding. This would make the sketch a rare and precious document, possibly the oldest one of its kind: for no other rendition of the architectural layout of the vault survives among Michelangelo's preliminary drawings.
