Bandini Pietà is the second of three Pietàs and Michelangelo worked on it from 1547 to 1555, intending it for his tomb.
Also known as The Deposition, it depicts Jesus after his descent from the cross, supported by the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and an aged Nicodemus, who bears a resemblance to Michelangelo himself.
Researchers restoring the sculpture found numerous microfractures in the marble, particularly in the lower section, which they believe forced Michelangelo to abandon the work.
The finding busts the myth that the Renaissance artist took a hammer to the sculpture out of anger at its lack of perfection, unless the damage was covered up by Tiberio Calcagni, who worked on the sculpture in 1565.
During the first months of the restoration, which began in late 2019, visitors were able to observe restorers at work on a specially-built stage installed around the base of the sculpture.
The museum was then closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sculpture was undertaken by Michelangelo 50 years after his first Pietà, which is housed in St Peter’s Cathedral, in the Vatican City, and is the only piece Michelangelo ever signed.
The third and final Pietà, known as the Rondanini Pietà, was sculpted roughly just before Michelangelo died at the age of 88 in 1564.
An unfinished work, it is housed in the Castello Sforzesco, in Milan.
