Why go
Look above the narrative reliefs to see where Niccolò dell’Arca’s fifteenth-century work changes the monument’s rhythm. The separate figures include Bologna’s patron saints, while Michelangelo’s contributions make this a useful stop for anyone following his early sculpture in the city.
The full story
Niccolò da Bari received the commission for a crowning to the sarcophagus in 1469. His work rose above the older box of narrative reliefs and gave the tomb a more vertical silhouette. At the top stands the Eternal Father, supported by a candelabrum with putti, dolphins and fruit garlands. Below, a Pietà and angels sit on the cornice, with the Evangelists at the corners. Around the lower tier are saints connected to Bologna and the Dominican setting. Niccolò began the figure of San Petronio, which the young Michelangelo completed in 1494; Michelangelo also made San Procolo and the right-hand candlestick angel below the sarcophagus. The left-hand angel is Niccolò’s. Compare the two angels for a particularly direct view of different hands working on one monument. Niccolò’s association with this elaborate tomb gave him the name by which he is now known: dell’Arca.