Not many people know that before Michelangelo become the embodiment of the Renaissance movement, he was no more than a common art forger. This was long before he grew into the magnificent force and leading sculptor of his time.
In 1496, when Michelangelo was only 21, he sculpted from marble a sleeping figure closely resembling Cupid. He then treated the marble so that it would resemble the ancient Roman statutes that sold for small fortunes to the collectors of the time. His deceiving creation was eventually sold via well-known art dealer of the time Baldassare del Milanese to none other than Cardinal Raffaele Riaro.