As an artist, the legendary Michelangelo Buonarroti left behind some big shoes to fill. But in real life, the great painter's shoes weren't big at all — and neither was Michelangelo.
Italian researchers recently examined three shoes that were found in Michelangelo's home after his death and are thought to have belonged to the Renaissance artist: a pair of leather shoes and a single leather slipper (the companion was stolen in 1873), in the collection of the Casa Buonarroti Museum in Florence, Italy.
The researchers' analysis is the first to estimate physical characteristics of the artist based on measurements of personal objects such as footwear, and they found that Michelangelo, while still an artistic giant, stood no more than 5 feet 2 inches (1.6 meters) tall.
