On 8th September 1504, Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the sculpture of the Biblical hero David, was unveiled in the Piazza dell Signoria, Florence.
Michelangelo’s “David” is a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance sculpture. He created it between 1501 and 1504. Standing at 5.17 metres (17 feet), “David” was the first colossal marble statue made in the early modern period. It set a new standard for monumental sculpture after classical antiquity.
Originally, Florence Cathedral (Duomo di Firenze) commissioned the statue as one of twelve prophets for its roofline. However, in 1504, “David” was placed in front of the Palazzo della Signoria, Florence’s seat of government. A public unveiling took place on 8 September that year. In 1873, authorities moved it to the Galleria dell’Accademia to protect it. A replica replaced the original in the square in 1910.
The biblical figure David was a favourite subject in Florentine art. His statue soon became a symbol of the defence of civil liberties in the Republic of Florence. The statue reflected the city’s spirit, especially after the expulsion of the Medici family in 1494.
History and Commission
The idea for a statue of David began before Michelangelo started working on it. During a crucial period for the Florentine republic, the city leaders sought symbols of strength. The Overseers of the Office of Works, or Operai del Duomo, revived the project to challenge threats from both external enemies and the Medici family. They wanted a powerful marble statue to symbolise resistance.
The Operai del Duomo, officials of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, managed the cathedral’s construction and upkeep. This 12-member committee, mostly from the influential wool guild (Arte della Lana), organised competitions and commissioned artworks. Plans for twelve large sculptures of Old Testament prophets, intended for the cathedral’s roof, had existed for years.
In 1410, Donatello made the first statue for this series, a colossal figure of Joshua. Later, his protégé Agostino di Duccio began a terracotta statue of Hercules around 1463. Some scholars think Agostino’s work was not a specific Hercules figure but represented any large figure or “giant.”
In 1464, the Operai commissioned Agostino to create a marble statue of David. Agostino travelled to Carrara to select a massive block of bianco ordinario marble for this purpose. He began shaping the figure but stopped after only roughing out some parts. The work halted when Donatello, his mentor, died in 1466. A decade later, Antonio Rossellino took over but his contract was cancelled. The marble block then lay neglected in the cathedral’s yard for 25 years.
By 1500, an inventory described the block as “a certain figure of marble called David, badly blocked out and supine.” The Operai sought a skilled sculptor who could transform the flawed marble into a masterpiece. Several artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, expressed interest, but Michelangelo won the commission in 1501.
The contract, issued on 16 August 1501, stated:
“The worthy master, Michelangelo, the son of Lodovico Buonarrotti, a citizen of Florence, shall make, finish and perfect the male figure known as the Giant… within two years.”
Michelangelo began carving on 13 September 1501, working behind the Duomo.
Carving and Process
Michelangelo believed the ideal form existed within the stone. He felt his task was to reveal it, reflecting his Neo-Platonic view of body and mind as separate but striving for unity. He would later claim he “liberated” figures already present in the marble.
His process began with preparatory sketches, drawings, and small models. Once ready, he sculpted directly onto the marble, chiselling the parts in highest relief first. This method, described by Giorgio Vasari, involved layering away at the stone from one side and then the others. The unfinished “Prisoners” sculptures show this same approach.
The marble, nine braccia in length, came from the Fantiscritti quarry at Carrara. The Operai raised the block upright for Michelangelo’s inspection. He began cutting with a heavy subbia, a pointed iron tool. Then, he used other chisels like the calcagnuolo and the gradina, gradually revealing the figure.
Placement and Movement
By January 1504, the authorities realised the statue was too large for the cathedral roof. A committee of 30 citizens, including Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli, met to decide its location. Some wanted it placed under the Loggia dei Lanzi, while others, like Botticelli, preferred it in front of the cathedral.
Eventually, David replaced Donatello’s Judith and Holofernes near the entrance of the Palazzo della Signoria. It took four days to move the statue, suspended in a wooden frame, across Florence. Later, its sling and tree-stump support were gilded.
By the mid-1800s, cracks appeared in the statue’s left leg, possibly due to uneven ground. In 1873, it was moved indoors to the Accademia protect it from further environmental damage.
As it was, a vandal attacked it with a hammer in 1991 damaging the left foot.
Later History and Preservation
Since 2000, experts have monitored David using 3D scanning and fracture monitoring. Studies found that the forward tilt of the statue had caused cracks in the ankles. In 2006, researchers linked the damage to an inclination after a flood in 1844. Further tests in 2014 identified critical cracks in the tree trunk and left ankle.
Tourist vibrations do not seem to pose a significant risk to the statue’s stability, despite concerns.
Interpretation and Symbolism
Much is made of the lack of sense of proportion in Michelangelo’s David, but that is to forget the statue was initially to be placed on the cathedral roof.
Michelangelo ignored ideal proportions and carved the head, arms, and hands larger than the torso and legs. This choice gives the illusion of David being alert and ready for action, particularly from a lower viewpoint.
However, another interpretation is that the larger details are symbolic. The brow is deeply furrowed and exaggerated, while the right hand is unusually large, perhaps referencing David’s biblical nickname, manu fortis, or “strong hand.” The larger head could be seen to represent concentration, whilst the right hand symbolises pondered action.
Michelangelo’s David differs from earlier depictions of the biblical hero. Instead of showing David after his victory, with the head of Goliath at his feet, Michelangelo portrayed him before the battle. David’s tense stance, bulging veins, and furrowed brow show him sizing up his enemy, not celebrating. The sling, draped over his shoulder, suggests readiness for action.
The statue’s contrapposto pose, with weight on one leg, mirrors ancient Greek sculptures of heroic figures. This stance also gives David a sense of potential energy. Created at a time when the Medici family was ousted from Florence, it became the symbol the liberty and freedom of the Republican ideals, showing Florence’s readiness to defend itself.
Michelangelo’s David remains an iconic symbol of Renaissance art and Florentine resilience. Its powerful form continues to inspire admiration for both its beauty and political symbolism.
“When all was finished, it cannot be denied that this work has carried off the palm from all other statues, modern or ancient, Greek or Latin; no other artwork is equal to it in any respect, with such just proportion, beauty and excellence did Michelagnolo finish it”. Giorgio Vasari
Recommended Book
“The best book on Michlangelo’s David that I have read. A superb mix of scholarly knowledge and approachable language, it gives a fantastic insight into one of the world’s best pìeces of art”.
Sarah Cater, Florence Tour Guide and Italy News Online co-owner.
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