Michelangelo’s David in Florence

The statue of David, created by the outstanding Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti (Michelangelo di Buonarroti, 1475-1564), can be found in the Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell’Accademia) in Florence.

Description

The sculpture, made of a monolithic block of valuable Carrara marble, has a height of 5.17 meters and a weight of more than 6 tons. David is recognized as the standard of male beauty of the Renaissance and one of the most significant masterpieces of world art.

The image of the biblical king inspired the masters before. Still, all the predecessors of Michelangelo (Donatello, Andrea del Verrocchio) portrayed David as the winner, at whose feet Goliath’s head fell. The artistic innovation of Buonarroti was that he was the first who captured the hero at the moment of preparation for the decisive battle. The statue depicts a naked young man of powerful body build, ready to fight a dangerous enemy. David’s head with a proud expression on his face, a mop of hair, furrowed eyebrows, and firmly compressed lips speak of an invincible will.

The lines of the body are anatomically perfect. A relaxed posture testifies to confidence and strength, and a sling thrown over the left shoulder promises the enemy a deadly attack. The sculptural image of the Jewish king was commissioned by Michelangelo in 1501 by the guild of wool merchants. The gild was responsible for decorating the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral (La Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore). The statue was supposed to be part of a sculptural ensemble of twelve Old Testament characters. However, this was not done.

While working on David, both Michelangelo’s life and the political life of the republic changed dramatically. Initially, the sculpture had only a religious character. But during its creation, Florence expelled the tyrants of the Medici, and Michelangelo’s “David” became a symbol of republican freedom and the protection of the fatherland from the power of tyrants.

History of its creation

The history of the Florentine Republic was closely intertwined with the creation of a world masterpiece. The picture of the medieval world had few shades of free-thinking; the Italian city-states were a unique phenomenon of that time. Florence never obeyed papal bulls and ducal decrees. Only human genius was its immutable law.

It took two years and four months to finish the work. The master at that time was 26 years old, but he became famous as a great sculptor beyond Leonardo. Michelangelo passed the most challenging exam in his life. As for any artist of that time, it was crucial whether Florence recognized his skills or not.

Interesting fact: Giorgio Vasari in his notes admits that Michelangel received a block of marble already damaged by notches and chips. As a result, the master had to chose the areas so that these defects were not noticeable in the future statue.

There were no assistants. Michelangelo worked alone, moving around a giant stone through scaffolding. The work took place in complete secrecy. A wooden fence surrounded the area where the statue was created. When it was almost completed, the master spent four months on the final finishing and polishing.

In January 1504, the leading Florentine masters saw and appreciated the sculpture. An authoritative group led by Leonardo da Vinci considered it worthy to decorate the heart of the city – Signoria Square (Piazza della Signoria). So, “David” was installed at the entrance to the Loggia dei Lanzi (Loggia dei Lanzi), where meetings of the City Council were held. It stood there for more than three hundred years, until 1873. Then, to avoid the negative effects of precipitation and weathering, the statue was moved to the main hall of the Accademia Gallery.

Address of the Gallery. Tickets. Opening hours.

Address: Via Ricasoli, 66, Florence (Via Ricasoli, 66, 50122 Firenze).

Since tickets are usually sold out, I advise you to buy them online in advance at Tiqets.com; the sooner you buy them, the better, as sometimes even 4-5 days in advance is not enough.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15 a.m. to 6:50 p.m.

The ticket offices close at 6:20 p.m. Monday is a day off. Price: 20 EUR per ticket (fast track).

The exhibit deserves attention. One will find here other Michelangelo’s works: “Pieta Palestrina” (Palestrina Pieta), “Four Slaves” (Prigioni), “St. Matthew” (San Matteo). You can take photos without a flash.

The official website of the gallery: www.polomuseale.firenze.it – and as it happens with Italian national websites, it works terribly 🙂

At the exit, in the brand shop, you can buy a variety of original souvenirs dedicated to David.

Copies

• The most famous copy of David is in Piazza della Signoria in Florence, where the original one was first installed.
  
• Another one is made of bronze in Florence, on Piazzale Michelangelo (Piazzale Michelangelo). The square was built on the left bank of the Arno river in 1869. Besides, there is a magnificent viewpoint.
  
• A plaster copy is in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. A funny fact: Queen Victoria visits the museum, the causal place of the statue was covered with a removable fig leaf.
  
• The Italian courtyard of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow also has its own David.
  

Interesting Facts

1. Once “David” was ready, it took four days to deliver it on a specially designed bull cart to the Piazza della Signoria for installation. The Florentines witnessed a fantastic event. Several haters of Michelangelo tried to destroy the sculpture by throwing stones at it. For this act, they were jailed.
2. In 1527, “David” was a victim of political debate – a bench thrown out of the window of the Palazzo Vecchio (Palazzo Vecchio) injured his left arm. The restoration was carried out by Vasari.
3. Florence gifted Jerusalem a cast of the sculpture. Unfortunately, the authorities of Jerusalem didn’t accept the gift and were outraged that David was naked and not circumcised.
4. In 2004 Florence celebrated the 500th anniversary of the masterpiece. The sculpture was washed for the first time in 130 years to commemorate this event.
5. A recent study revealed the threat of statue destruction caused by tremors. Therefore, according to Italian Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini, 200,000.00 EUR will be allocated to install an earthquake-resistant pedestal.