Revised Thesis

The Unfinished Slaves ironically represent the situation Michelangelo found himself in while working on the Tomb of Pope Julius II. The sculptures, as a part of the Tomb, were infrequently worked on for the greater part of Michelangelo’s life, as he was torn between them and the other patrons that commandeered him. He became enslaved to the conflicting contracts, and this state is reflected in the unfinished sculptures which he harboured in his apartment until his death.