1) Name: Christ Della Minerva
2) Location: The Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
3) Size/Material: 6’9”/ Marble
Until our tour to the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, I was absolutely positive I was going to write about the ornate golden gates at the entrance to the park that led to the Louvre, but the basilica offered something that I just couldn’t pass up. This piece of art stood quietly and at the same time demanded attention. It was the Cristo Della Minerva.
The Cristo Della Minerva is a statue of Christ grasping the crucifix and his walking stick. His head appears to be turned away from the cross as if he was looking towards his father, our Lord, or possibly his people. If you look closely at his face it appears to be solemn, but his body gives a completely different image. He stands completely firm, showing his strength, but that could also be the time period when it was constructed. The cross emerges from the statue very boldly. Its slick edges and towering height over Christ are done for a reason in my personal opinion. When I examined it the first time I noticed it right away, but I didn’t know why. Shouldn’t Jesus be important than the cross? Then I thought that possibly the significance of the cross in this statue is that Christ died for us on cross. The crucifix is an international symbol of Christianity and that might be why it stands out so much. The cross and walking stick together could also remind the viewers of all the miracles Christ performed.
Beginning in 1514, Michelangelo constructed the Cristo Della Minerva from white marble. From my understanding he created two sculptures of the same design due to the discovery of a black vein in the marble. The first statue was left in an incomplete state, almost finished, and was later bought in 1522 by the man who first asked for it to be made, and he placed it in his courtyard garden. It was eventually sold and lost until it was found in another Roman church. It was recognizable due to the black vein in the marble. The second statue was finally finished in 1521. Originally, Christ was left naked standing his cross and walking stick but over time a cloth piece was attached to the statue for modesty. One of the most amazing aspects of where this statue stands is that it is in the only gothic church in all of Rome.
DW IN DC 
I absolutely loved this piece when I first saw it! I personally believe that perhaps Jesus is looking down at his people, and the cross is taller than him because it represents the way that God stands above us all. I found it very interesting that you considered his posture a symbol of strength. The first thing that I noticed about the statue when I saw it was also that it was standing contrapposto (with all of his weight on one foot). I always take a close look at sculptures that have been done in this style, because I remember learning once in that the Roman copies of Greek statues always have the person leaning on something, as the Romans had not perfected the art the same way that ancient Greeks had. One thing that particularly caught my eye was the way that there is a cloth running down his back onto the ground below him in order to balance the weight of the statue. After reading your thoughts about him standing firm, I took another, closer look at the statue. When I first looked at it, I thought that he was leaning on the cross. Then, when I stood up and tried to reenact the position that he was standing in, I realized that all his weight is focused on the foot that stood behind the cross. This must mean that the cross is not supporting him; he is actually holding it up! I believe that a show of his strength was in fact the purpose of this position, although the technique of making a statue stand in such a way was one of Michelangelo’s specialties. I also thought it was very interesting to learn that the cloth was added later on for modesty, because I feel as if it blends in with the piece so well that seems as if it were part of the original construction. I agree with your theory about the walking stick being a reminder of the miracles that he performed, that thought never even occured to me. Great journal, I enjoyed reading it.
Striking statue, Danny, and your observations are cogent and compelling…