Caveat Emptor --- Day 12/77

Walk:  Yes! 

Distance: 4 miles, Yoga

Michelangelo (?), Laocoon and His sons*

So today Ciwt learned that Michelangelo was a forger early in his career.  He carved a cupid statue in the style of the ancient Greeks, and when his Florentine patron saw it, he told the artist it could fetch a lot more money if it appeared to have been buried.  So Michelangelo did what ever you do to make a marble look like it has been in the ground for several centuries. When it was 'unearthed' the scupture was bought immediately by Cardinal Raffaele Riario for the Vatican's collection. 

Apparently the Cardinal soon figured out he'd been sold a fake and his money was returned.  However, he was so impressed with the sculpture that he had Michelangelo brought to Rome.  And the rest was the David, the Pieta, the Cistene Chapel ceiling and other of the greatest works in art history.  So, sometimes crime pays off - Big Time.

*It is also suspected that the supposed Ancient Greek masterpiece Laocoon and His Sons dug up in Rome in 1506 was actually by Michelangelo.