Michelangelo was famous for his powerful sculptures and paintings of human figures, but he also had fun designing imaginary creatures. Join Joachim Homann and Margaret Grasselli to discover two sketches of strange, fanciful creatures that combine human and animal traits. These lively sketches were ideas for small lamps that were intended to be both functional and amusing, though they look nothing like the ones we use today!

Inspired by this talk? We would love to see you exercise your own imagination through drawing! Choose a creature you like or imagine your own magical creature, then design a magical lamp inspired by your creation. Share your drawing with us by tagging @harvardartmuseums on Instagram.

Creature Feature, an online series from the Harvard Art Museums, offers a chance for families to explore magical creatures across the collections through close looking and curious exploration with museum staff. Creature Feature talks are free, open to curious explorers ages 6 and up, and offered once a month on Zoom.

Led by:
Joachim Homann, Maida and George Abrams Curator of Drawings, Division of European and American Art

Margaret Morgan Grasselli, Visiting Senior Scholar for Drawings, Division of European and American Art, and Visiting Lecturer, Department of History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University

Erica Lawton, Staff Assistant, Division of European and American Art

Work Explored:
Michelangelo Buonarroti, Italian, Goldsmith’s Designs, including Two Ideas for an Oil Lamp, 1521. Black chalk on beige antique laid paper. Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Charles A. Loeser, 1932.152.