Michelangelo, “The Crouching Boy”, Marble, 1530-34
Despite its small size, this sculpture creates an impression of monumentality, unity and inner force. The image of the crouching boy is suffused with sorrow, a mood which suggest that this sole work by Michelangelo in the Hermitage was intended for the Medici Chapel in the Church of San Lorenzo, Florence.
The figure is exceedingly expressive; though the head is bowed and the face hardly visible, the taut muscles of the body produce a striking impression of the great inner strength that enables one to withstand the pain.
Some scholars see here an allegory for the unborn soul, while others see the figure as a wounded soldier or a spirit of mourning. Yet others believe that this sculpture is a reflection of the depression suffered by many Florentine citizens during the years of the Spanish invasion.