Genius of Victory

Michelangelo carved this marble sculpture between 1532 and 1534, originally intending it for Pope Julius II's tomb. Standing 2.61 meters tall, the work now resides in the Salone dei Cinquecento at Palazzo Vecchio. Duke Cosimo I de' Medici received it as a gift in 1564, the year of Michelangelo's death.

The sculpture depicts a young victor standing triumphantly over a crouching, bearded captive. One leg presses down on the older man's back while the victor's body twists in a spiraling pose. This figura serpentinata, or serpentine figure, became influential in Mannerist art. Rather than showing combat, Michelangelo created an allegory of triumph. The victor's youthful beauty contrasts with the aged prisoner's weathered features, suggesting virtue overcoming vice or perhaps the soul conquering earthly bondage.