Michelangelo expresses his apologies to pope Giulio II for getting away from Rome

In this canvas is represented the episode in which the young Michelangelo, as an ambassador, had gone to Bologna to see Giulio II, in 1506, expressing his apologies for getting away from Rome the year before. The artist kneels before the Pope who is seated on a faldstool. The tenor of the scene is solemn and the characters static, the painter seems to focus on the preciousness of the figure’s clothing.