Michelangelo’s O

Abstract

This short note depends on a picture—Michelangelo’s carved signature on the Rome Pietà (fig. 1). Consider the difficulty of cutting each letter: thirty-six in total. At the center of the inscription, four wellproportioned and carefully carved letters initiate Michelangelo’s surname: B O N A ROTVS. Note especially the geometry and generous rotundity of the initial two letters, B O. This work requires precision and meticulous attention. A small, flathead chisel cuts sharp-edged channels about a millimeter deep. There is no slippage, no scratching of the polished marble, even when a serif