Things You Didn’t Know about Michelangelo’s David
Tuscany is home to countless amazing sights and landmarks, but one of the greatest attractions of them all is Michelangelo’s David. It can be found in the Accademia Gallery of Florence (or Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze).
You’ve probably got countless things that you want to do during your holiday in this beautiful part of Italy, but seeing this majestic statue should certainly be a priority. Before you go to see it, be sure to check out a few of these interesting facts.
Replicas of Michelangelo’s David
David is one of the world’s most famous pieces of art – but did you know that there quite a few copies of the statue? There are another two just in Florence; one in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, where the original once stood, and a bronze replica on Piazzale Pichelangelo. While these statues aren’t bad to look at, there’s nothing quite like seeing the original David in all its glory.
David is a biblical hero
Not everyone knows this, but the statue represents a hero from the bible. David was a young man who fought and defeated the deadly Goliath – but there is something that makes this statue quite different from other works of art using this character.
Most pieces also feature Goliath, where this work shows the hero alone. Many believe that this represents the figure before battle took place, which is further supported by the fact that he has an anxious-looking expression.
The right hand isn’t proportionately correct
Many artists gazing at the statue may notice that David’s right hand is bigger than it should be when compared to the rest of the body. If you do a little research though, you’ll find that many art historians believe that Michelangelo did this on purpose. Manu fortis was David’s nickname – and in English, this means “strong of hand”.
Most would agree that it’s far more likely that this was an intentional reference to the nickname, rather than the idea that such a magnificent artist would have gotten his proportions wrong and left the statue to be.
The marble Michelangelo used was a single block that had been discarded by two other sculptors. The first was Agostino di Duccio. He started to work on a project, but soon decided to give up on his idea and left the marble block untouched for 10 years.
Next was Antonio Rossellino, who gave up on the medium after a few failed attempts, because he felt it was just too difficult to work with. The marble had then been left for 40 years before Michelangelo came along and made it into one of the greatest sculptures of all time.