Michelangelo's David - Withstanding Time

On this day in 1504 the statue of David by Michelangelo was unveiled outside the Palazzo della Signoria in Firenze. The statue was originally supposed to be one of many which would adorn buttresses of the Duomo. However, it was not deemed fit for the original commission and it stood outside the Palazzo for hundreds of years, withstanding time and the elements before being moved into the Galleria Accademia.

The David is splendid, as we experienced on a recent trip to Italy.  It's an unusual statue, because the boy is depicted in the moments before he attacked Goliath.  Most statues at the time showed the moments after David had cut off Goliath’s head. Of course we have to remember that any art is merely the artist’s impression. The David of the Bible was a young boy and could not have been quite so god-like in physique. Michelangelo was certainly showing off his knowledge of anatomy.

It was rather disconcerting to discover that the statue is slowly leaning over as a result of the erosion. Movement detectors have been employed to monitor any shift in the statue and plans are afoot to counter any damage. All those years standing outside have taken their toll, but isn't it amazing that something which was created hundreds of years ago is now being rescued by modern technology?

No photographs are allowed inside. “But if you want, you can take a picture of the pink David in the courtyard,” our guide informed us. There was a concurrent exhibition of modern art at the gallery and the garish pink David with yellow hair (including his pubic hair) and blue eyes must be making Michelangelo roll over in his grave. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture.  This photo of Statue of David is courtesy of TripAdvisor.

You can read more about this in today’s edition of the Writers’ Almanac:

http://www.elabs7.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=fj6,xlbe,dv,5zj0,89j,2jvk,18ki