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Florence's Medici Chapel to Open Long-Secret Room Containing Charcoal Drawings, Possibly by Michelangelo, to Limited Public Access

Artworks in Secret Medici Chapel Room Spark High Debate Over Michelangelo's Attribution as the Space Opens for Limited Public Access Starting November 15.

Overview

  • A secret room in Florence's Medici Chapel, discovered in 1975, contains charcoal drawings that some experts believe were drawn by Michelangelo.
  • The room, measuring just 10-by-3 meters, was used to store coal until 1955 and was subsequently sealed and forgotten beneath a hidden trapdoor.
  • The then-director of the Medici Chapel museum, Paolo Dal Poggetto, firmly believed that the drawings were Michelangelo's, sparking an ongoing debate among scholars about their attribution.
  • According to Dal Poggetto's theory, Michelangelo may have hidden in this room to escape the wrath of Pope Clement VII, sketching the drawings while supporting a short-lived republic that overthrew the Medicis.
  • The room will be opened to the public for limited access starting November 15, with up to 100 visitors permitted each week, four at a time, for periods of no more than 15 minutes to protect the delicate drawings.