Statue of David Facts

David est un chef-d'œuvre de sculpture de la Renaissance réalisée en marbre entre ....

David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created in marble between 1501 and 1504 by the Italian artist Michelangelo. David is a 5.17-metre (17.0 ft) marble statue of the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence.

David was originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, but was instead placed in a public square, outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of civic government in Florence, in the Piazza della Signoria where it was unveiled on 8 September 1504. The statue was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, in 1873, and later replaced at the original location by a replica.

Because of the nature of the hero it represented, the statue soon came to symbolize the defence of civil liberties embodied in the Republic of Florence, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were fixated towards Rome.

The truly genius Tuscan artist named Michelangelo Buonarroti, a Renaissance man!

Between 1501- 1504 (restored in 2003-2004) – Michelangelo started the work when he was just 26 years old!

At the museum called the Accademia Gallery, in Florence, Italy

5.16 meters (almost 17 feet, a shy short at 16 feet and 11.15 inches)

One single block of marble from the quarries in Carrara in Tuscany, one of the whitest in the world

5,660 kg or 12,478.12 lbs!!! He is made out of solid marble ;-).

The sling on his left shoulder and tree trunk behind his right leg were covered with gold leaf? Being outdoors in Piazza della Signoria in the elements for over 400 years washed the gold leaf away :(.

The story of David and Goliath is a biblical one, found in Book 1 Samuel. The teenage David had to defeat the giant Goliath, he could not be defeated by strength since David was smaller. It took cunning and skill to defeat someone bigger than him, and he did so with the slingshot.

Many statues before Michelangelo’s that portray this story always show David AFTER he has defeated the giant, with the head by his feet. Michelangelo decided to go against the current and portray his David BEFORE the battle. You can see in his face the concentration of him thinking how he’s going to do it, the rock hidden inside his right palm, the slingshot seemingly at rest on his shoulder and him waiting for the right moment pretending to be at ease. He could only defeat the giant if he caught him by surprise – and he did!

Yes! The most famous are in Florence itself, outdoors. The first, in Piazza della Signoria, is a copy in the exact spot where the original used to be for over 400 years and the second one is in Piazzale Michelangelo overlooking Florence. This second one is also made out of bronze instead of marble.