Michelangelo’s Grocery List Is Still Attainable Today At Your Local Supermarket
Image via Casa Buonarroti / Wikimedia Commons
Great artists—they’re just like us. For a taste of the normalcy in the lives of some of history’s most prolific figures, look no further than Michelangelo’s shopping list, one of his roughly 600 sketches still in existence.
Currently in the possession of the Casa Buonarroti museum in Florence, Italy, and recently brought back into the spotlight by Open Culture, this extraordinarily ordinary sheet from 1518 showcases Michelangelo’s diet of bread, fish, and wine, complete with delightful drawings.
Michelangelo’s servant was supposedly illiterate, so the sculptor illustrated what he should pick up at the market, as detailed by The Oregonian’s Steve Duin in an art show review.
On a piece of paper, Michelangelo drew circles for bread rolls, and a fish to represent an herring. He also asked for stewed fennel, salad, anchovies, and a healthy amount of dry wine—plus a small jug’s worth. Interestingly, instead of illustrating pasta, he scribbled in a written reminder to get tortelli.
The letter on the back of the list is marked with the date March 18, 1518, telling historians that it was created around the time of Lent. This suggests that Michelangelo was steering away from his usual diet, which would presumably include meat.
[via Open Culture and Atlas Obscura, images via Casa Buonarroti / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)]
