Cage Match at the Palazzo – The Renaissance #232 (Michelangelo Part 10)

In this episode, Cameron and Ray celebrate their 12th anniversary of podcasting—a milestone that immediately sparks a debate over whether 12 constitutes a “baker’s dozen”. The discussion centers on the period following the completion of the *David* in 1504, when a 29-year-old Michelangelo became the most famous artist in Florence. The hosts explore Michelangelo’s “trail of unfinished masterpieces,” starting with his failed 12-year contract for the 12 Apostles at the Florence Cathedral, which resulted only in the rough-hewn St. Matthew. They also dive into the legendary artistic “cage match” at the Palazzo Vecchio, where Michelangelo was pitted against Leonardo da Vinci to paint massive battle frescoes—a project Michelangelo eventually abandoned for a “bigger and better deal” with Pope Julius II. The episode wraps up with the humorous anecdote of Michelangelo “fixing” the *David’s* nose to satisfy the ego of dictator-for-life Piero Soderini.