er his uncle's death. He began at once to take measures for
the transport of Michelangelo's remains to Florence, according to the
wish of the old man, frequently expressed and solemnly repeated two
days before his death. The corpse had been deposited in the Church of
the SS. Apostoli, where the funeral was celebrated with becoming pomp
by all the Florentines in Rome, and by artists of every degree. The
Romans had come to regard Buonarroti as one of themselves, and, when
the report went abroad that he had expressed a wish to be buried in
Florence, they refused to believe it, and began to project a decent
monument to his memory in the Church of the SS. Apostoli. In order to
secure his object, Lionardo was obliged to steal the body away, and to
despatch it under the guise of mercantile goods to the custom-house of
Florence. Vasari wrote to him from that city upon the 10th of March,
informing him that the packing-case had duly arrived, and had been
left under seals until his, Lionardo's, arrival at the custom-house.

About this time two plans were set on foot for erecting monuments to
Michelangelo's memory. The scheme started by the Romans immediately
after his death took its course, and the result is that tomb at the
SS. Apostoli, which undoubtedly was meant to be a statue-portrait of
the man. Vasari received from Lionardo Buonarroti commission to erect
the tomb in S. Croce. The correspondence of the latter, both with
Vasari and with Jacopo del Duca, who superintended the Roman monument,
turns for some time upon these tombs. It is much to Vasari's credit
that he wanted to place the Pieta which Michelangelo had broken, above
the S. Croce sepulchre. He writes upon the subject in these words:
"When I reflect that Michelangelo asserted, as is well known also to
Daniele, Messer Tommaso dei Cavalieri, and many other of his friends,
that he was making the Pieta of five figures, which he broke, to serve
for his own tomb, I think that his heir ought to inquire how it came
into the possession of Bandini. Besides, there is an old man in the
group who represents the person of the sculptor. I entreat you,
therefore, to take measures for regaining this Pieta, and I will make
use of it in my design. Pierantonio Bandini is very courteous, and
will probably consent. In this way you will gain several points. You
will assign to your uncle's sepulchre the group he planned to place
there, and you will be able to hand over the statues in Via Moz