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Michelangelo's David: Statue
built 208 days ago
Michelangelo's statue of King David is one of the most famous sculptures ever. Created between 1501 and 1504, the original now resides in Galeria dell'Academia, in Florence, Italy. The statue stands 12 inches tall, is 4 1/2 inches wide and 3 inches deep. Made of cold cast resin, it has the look of marble, and shows incredible detail. Don't miss out on this awesome piece at a great price. Get yours now!
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The original statue of Michelangelo's David is located in the museum Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, Italy, along with Michelangelo's other important works such as the Four Prisoners. The statue of David used to stand in front of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, but was later moved indoors. A copy of Michelangelo's David is now displayed in front of the palace.
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Michelangelo's David arrived in 1873, moved here from the Piazza della Signoria in order to better conserve it. A copy of the statue still stands in Piazza della Signoria where it formerly was displayed. Despite the familiarity of the statue's image, the sheer size of the marble statue comes as a surprise. Commissioned by the Opera del Duomo in 1501, the work was deliberately designed to symbolize the virtues of Republican Florence and freedom from foreign and papal domination. Recently, it has come to symbolize the ultimate symbol of the artistic and intellectual ambitions of the Renaissance.
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Michelangelo's David, sculpted from 1501 to 1504, is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture and one of Michelangelo's two greatest works of sculpture, along with the Pietà. It is the statue of the young Israelite king David alone that almost certainly holds the title of the most recognizable stone sculpture in the history of art. It has become regarded as a symbol both of strength and youthful human beauty. The 5.17 meter (17 ft)[1] marble statue portrays the Biblical King David in the nude, at the moment that he decides to do battle with Goliath. It came to symbolize the defense of civic liberties embodied in the Florentine Republic, an independent city state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici themselves. This interpretation was ... encouraged by the original setting of the sculpture outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence.
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To anyone who knows the story of David and Goliath, an obvious paradox arises from a statue of David that is seventeen feet tall. The mythical figure of David is supposed to be the giant-killer—yet, in view of his size, Florentines spontaneously called this David "The Giant." With that, the whole meaning of David's victory is altered. No longer does he represent a fable whose moral is "the bigger they come, the harder they fall." As Marcel Brion wrote: "Michelangelo's David is like Perseus and Siegfried, whose prowess was the result of their own strength and courage; they would have scorned to appeal for help, even from God" (Michelangelo, The Greystone Press, 1940). Another difference in Michelangelo's David is that he is shown before battle rather than after.
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The marble David (1501-4) is the tallest statue ever made by Michelangelo. It was commissioned by the Florentine Republic following his success with the St. Peter’ Pietá (1497). The enormous marble block that Michelangelo’s David was carved out of was termed ‘Il Gigante’ by contemporaries and was originally acquired in 1464 for Agostino di Duccio, who conspicuously failed to produce the originally commissioned David. The giant marble block, who Vasari and Condivi say was considerably damaged by Agostino, remained unfinished for nearly forty years in the Office of Works of Florence Cathedral.[10] According to Vasari, the triumphant young Michelangelo, upon returning to Rome, offered to carve the mutilated block without adding extra pieces[11] and proclaimed of his audacious project, “David with his sling and I with my bow – Michelangelo.” The bow refers to the sculptor’s drill, and the verse shows that Michelangelo thought of himself as doing battle with the damaged block with nothing other than his own skill and courage, just as David overcame Goliath with just a sling and rock.
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