Michelangelo's David

what made michelangelo gain major fame?

the success of the pieta

what is the size of the italian braccio?

57 centimeters

which artist made statues studied by michelangelo?

giambologna made the rape of the sabine women, 3 figures interacting

how tall is the David?

5m and 17cm

who was the artist that started the original david that michelangelo worked over?

agostino di duccio, was a clothed david from the 1460s. the block was acquired in 1464 for prophet statues on the cathedral (over 14 feet tall). work stalled when it became to heavy to raise

which davids were designed to be admired from the front?

michelangelo, verrochio, donatello

what are the flaws of the david?

the arms are too long for the body, the head too large for the width of the shoulders. there is a short distance from quadricep and foot. the weakest point of view is from the side of him looking away. these were optical corrections for the high planned position, confirmed by a 2010 fiberglass replica placed on the buttress.

where was the david supposed to be located?

on the buttress of the duomo, 36m above ground. the ground to the top of the lantern is 92m

what is in the gallery of the accademia?

unfinished pieces by michelangelo to understand difficulty of carving marble, they were made after the David

how was the marble carved?

the cube was carved from the front using a three fingered chisel. to carve the face the block was laid down and stood over and drilled. elliptical cuts in the marble to make the beard

how was marble taken from the quarry?

the stone was turned into a cube with the help of stonecutters. agostino’s block arrived on a boat

when were the marble slaves completed?

1506-1519, the same time michelangelo received a commission from the cathedral to carve 12 life sized figures of apostles

what is one of the life sized drafts of the apostles?

the san matteo, we saw the draft of it which was done with a single stone

are there many drawings of the david?

no, there is only one which is in France. but there are many drawings for the San Matteo

when did michelangelo receive his contract for the David?

in 1501, from the opera dell duomo. he eliminated the head of goliath and mass to try and make it easier for lifting

who was soderini?

he was to be elected president of the florentine republic. he interviewed da vinci who was chosen to move the david onto the duomo

how did da vinci plan on moving the david onto the duomo?

using hoisting machines and cutting agustino’s david into three parts. some didn’t like this idea and they looked at michelangelo instead because he had done the pieta in rome.

when was michelangelo’s david presented?

june 24 1503, also the day of baptism

what did botticelli say about the david statue’s location?

he said because it is a religious statue it should be in proximity of the cathedral, but maybe not inside because of nudity. he said that the republic should order a companion figure of judith like the one paired with donatello’s david in the courtyard of the medici palace

what did the politicians and francesco filarete say about the david’s location?

they said the statue was more useful for the republic, and should be at parliament entrance in place of donatello’s judith which was confiscated from the medici and seen as too violent for the republic

what did da vinci say about the david location?

he said the david should go under the arches of loggia della signoria and that the arch creates a fake niche with black marble that would shadow some of the defects

how was the david intended to be viewed?

visible when coming from either angle, two sides diagonally. david in a contrapposto pose

what can you see when viewing the david from the side with the hand in front of the face?

there is a lot of chest, not a lot of back because of the removal of the clothing from the original statue. doesn’t quite have the 3D look it should have

what is the weakest point of the david?

the straight leg, there is a crack on the foot. the tree stump on the back keeps the lower legs from breaking

what was part of the statue in the original agustino version?

probably the head of gloiath and one part clothed. but the height was the same, 5m and 17cm. and the original thickness was slightly thicker but probably the same positioning

what did michelangelo convince soderini of?

he said that soderini could use the statue as propaganda to build trust back after the medici were ran out of town

when were the statues details decided on?

between 1502-1503. michelangelo went back on his scaffolding and carved deeper ab muscles, done with the calculation of light of midday in the square.

is the davids current location today up for debate?

yes, but it would be hard because it is big and there needs to be a high number of visitors. there are some other cracks in the stone but none dangerous.

does michelangelo’s david have a sling?

yes, held in his right hand. there was also supposed to be a stick, one part in marble and one in bronze but this idea was abandoned once the statue was transferred to piazza della signoria

what does the david represent outside of the parliament building?

the david is guarding the republic against all enemies outside, a political narrative. when the statue was moved to the square many protested the nudity and it was attacked for two nights. a few months later the genitals were covered until the 17th century.

why might the statue be carved as nude and not as a child?

nude because maybe soderini never really intended it to be used for the cathedral, always the piazza. and we don’t know why it isn’t as a child.

what did the republic order for the head of david that was taken off?

a crown

is the david a classical piece?

it is classical but with a personal interpretation. there is more movement in the face than the stiff classical pieces michelangelo was familiar with. most classical statues of athletes were to be viewed as part of a series in niches over something like a burial monument

did anyone take into account the statue’s 360 degree detail?

no, neither parliament nor the cathedral

what is the biggest statue ever carved since the fall of the roman empire?

the david!

what did michelangelo do in the process of the david?

he applied his work restoring fragmentary pieces or correct agustino’s work

what was designed for the david to be positioned on in front of parliament?

a pedestal

is michelangelo’s david a christian version of the king of israel?

no, because it is not circumcised

what did we visit at the end of the tour?

a room of plaster models to teach artists how to carve. we saw the holes which nails and ropes went through to calculate what to carve and looked at a lorenzo bartolini sculpture

who encouraged michelangelo to return to florence?

his friends the medici, granacci, botticelli

what happened to donatello’s marble david from 1408?

it was made for the cathedral but later moved to palazzo vecchio

how long was michelangelo’s david at palazzo vecchio?

from september 1504 until the late 19th century. a copy of it is now in piazza della signoria

who praised michelangelo’s david?

giorgo vasari, surpassed all ancient and modern works and that anyone who has seen the david has no need to see anything else. made from a single block of marble.