Studies for "Pieta" or "The Last Judgement" 1530

Michelangelo’s *Studies for "Pieta" or "The Last Judgement"* (1530) are a pair of anatomical studies for the artist's later masterpieces. The drawings, housed in the Casa Buonarroti in Florence, demonstrate the artist's rigorous approach to draftsmanship and his keen interest in the human form. The muscular definition of the torso and the precise delineation of the hand reveal Michelangelo's mastery of the human anatomy, which was essential for his grand-scale sculptures and paintings. The study of the hand suggests the figure may have been intended for the *Last Judgement*, while the torso could be related to the *Pieta*.