A bronze replica of one of the world’s most renowned sculptures has found its way to a church in the heart of Little Italy.
On Dec. 1, the first official casting of “Moses,” made from Michelangelo’s original white marble sculpture, was installed in the sanctuary of the Church of the Most Precious Blood, at 109 Mulberry St. The bronze work, which was produced in the last 50 years, originated from the very first molding of Michelangelo’s famed sculpture, which is part of the elaborate tomb of Pope Julius II in San Pietro in Vincoli Church in Rome.
The majestic bronze, crafted to the exact dimensions of the original “Moses” by the Chiurazzi Foundry in Italy, depicts a horned, long-bearded Moses who, having just descended Mt. Sinai, is bearing the Ten Commandments down to the Jews.
“The work of art itself is deemed one of the great works of art in the history of the world,” said Chuck Huller, owner of SPQR, a New York-based art-brokerage firm. “It has not only tremendous historical significance, it has what they called ‘implied movement’ — one motion stopping and another about to begin — as well as beauty, form and line.”
