Tommaso dei Cavalieri in 1564, on the day of Michelangelo's death

Tommaso's widowhood from his relatively young age gave him more freedom in his relationship with Michelangelo. Although the Romans whispered about the nature of their relationship, Michelangelo made no particular secret of his relationships with Tommaso or with other young men. The high social prestige that Michelangelo enjoyed from the age of twenty-something protected him and Tommaso from atrocities because of their love life. It was well known in Rome that Tommaso and Michelangelo had a devout love for each other, which lasted until Michelangelo's death at the age of 88. Tommaso was Michelangelo's muse and his path to God, and although the Master was perpetually dissatisfied with his own creations, fortunately for us, he managed to immortalize Tommaso's physical and spiritual beauty in drawings, paintings, sculptures, poems, and letters of practically unsurpassable value.