and it shall be more beautiful

In Rome on August 27, 1498, twenty-three year old artist Michelangelo entered into a written contract with Cardinal Bilhéres detailing a new sculpture commission to be executed in marble:

a draped figure of the Virgin Mary with the dead Christ in her arms, the figures being life-size, for the sum of four hundred and fifty gold ducats in papal gold ...

And in this brief, fascinating contract seemingly no detail was left unaccounted for, including this remarkable requirement on the artist:

that said Michelangelo shall complete said work within one year and that it shall be more beautiful than any work in marble to be seen in Rome today, and such that no master of our own time shall be able to produce a better ...

The craziest thing, Michelangelo actually pulled it off.

(This from a terrific book I'm reading now, and about which I'll have more to say I'm sure: Young Michelangelo, by John T. Spike.)