The Italy Pavilion at the ongoing Osaka-Kansai Expo has started the exhibition of Michelangelo Bernini’s statue, ‘Resurrection of Christ’, timed with Lazio Week, beginning today, May 18.
The statue ‘Resurrection of Christ’ depicts the scene after Christ was taken down from the cross. He holds the cross in one hand, bearing the marks of the ropes and nails that bound him, and has a spear wound on his chest. It stands at 2.05 meters tall.
Commissioned by the Pope between 1514 and 1516, it remained unfinished due to a vein in the marble appearing near the face, despite nearing completion in areas like the chest and hands.
In the early 1600s, the unfinished statue was put up for sale, bought by a duke at an antique shop, who then commissioned another sculptor to complete it. While some believe it was finished by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the true identity of the finisher remains unknown. It is believed to have been completed between 1618 and 1619, with modifications like changing the facial features to a 16th-century style.
Though it was known to be housed in a Roman church, it was not until 2000 that historians discovered it to be Michelangelo’s work.
Having had several title changes, it was named ‘Resurrection of Christ’ for the apparent scene depicting after Christ was taken down from the cross.
Currently held by the San Vincenzo Martire Church in Bassano Romano, the statue was also exhibited in Tokyo in 2017. This marks its first exhibition in Osaka, where it will remain displayed until the end of the Expo.
The ceremony featured attendees such as Italy Pavilion government representative Mario Vattani and Lazio Governor Francesco Rocca, who celebrated the opening with a ribbon-cutting.
The Osaka-Kansai Expo, themed ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’, is being held at Yumeshima in Osaka from April 13 to October 13 for a total of 184 days. Opening hours are from 9 AM to 10 PM daily.
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