The Michelangelo's David Statue

The David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, created in marble between 1501 and 1504 by the Italian artist Michelangelo. David is a 5.17 metre marble statue of the Biblical figure David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence.

If you see a picture of this statue, it’s hard to imagine that it’s actually huge. It doesn’t represent the size of a man in real life at all.

It stands 17 feet / 517 centimeters tall, which is about 3 times the size of the average man.

 

The David strikes a simple pose: given its size, any stronger action pose risked compromising balance. At all events, it was an extraordinary accomplishment to have extracted so nobly and animated a figure out from such a disproportionately flat rectangular mass. Supporting his body with the right leg and carrying the left leg forward, the almost divine young hero lets his right-hand fall to the thigh level as he flexes in the other to shoulder height. His face is bold yet thoughtful: he is defiantly awaiting his adversary and calmly sizing up his chances like a true Florentine as he plans an attack of questionable loyalty.

 

How a Rejected Block of Marble Became the World’s Most Famous Statue?

The long sculpter progress of David Statue:

The David was originally part of a project by Santa Maria del Fiore, it was supposed to decorate the roof of the Florence Cathedral. 

Michelangelo's David  is sculpted from a single block of white marble. This massive block of marble, which was rough and unfinished, weighed well over 12,000 lbs / 6,000 kilos. Unfortunately, this also revealed that the marble is of inferior quality as it has a lot of microscopic holes in it.

So the block of marble was neglected for multiple decades, the block of marble must have looked pretty bad the moment it was left unattended in the workshop of the Cathedral of Florence. Nobody seemed to be able to turn it into the masterpiece it would eventually become,two other sculptors worked on the statue before.

Till On September 13, 1501, Michelangelo started chipping away at the large block of marble  after he received the commission, and He worked on it for well over 2 years and it was nearing completion in January 1504.

The David Statue was then that the decision to put it on top of the Florence Cathedral was dropped. After all, lifting a huge block of marble that high was simply impossible at the time.

It was eventually decided to place it just next to the “Palazzo della Signoria,” the city hall of Florence. This building is now known as the “Palazzo Vecchio,” which literally translates to “Old Palace.”

This didn’t happen though because da Vinci and multiple other people argued that the statue wasn’t able to face the weather conditions due to its inferior marble, so it needed to be put underneath a roof.

Halfway the 19th century, after standing 2 and half decades outside the Palazzo Vecchio, David started showing cracks in his left leg. This was caused by an uneven ground that started to sink from the constant pressure of the huge statue.

(The statue in the Accademia Gallery in Florence)

 

Therefore, David was removed from its original location in 1873 to be displayed in the Accademia Gallery, an art museum in Florence. Till now.

And In 1910, it was decided to put a copy of David back on the original location.

（Copy of David just outside the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence）

 

The Culture Meaning of Michelangelo's Statue of David:

Michelangelo's Statue of David is the perfection of the most famous sculpture in Florence and, perhaps, in all the world.

Michelangelo's David not only embodies the aesthetics of High Renaissance art, the politics of Renaissance Florence, and the technical virtuosity of Greek sculpture, but also has become one of the most recognized works of Renaissance sculpture, becoming a symbol of both strength and youthful human beauty.

David hasn’t just been replicated on its original location in Florence, it has been replicated countless times and can be found all over the world!

Replicas of the statue are often used to create a sense of culture, such as hotel lobbies, beach resorts, or even casinos.

 

If you also need the replicas of the david statue to decorate your project, welcome contact Joyfull Stone. We carve the statue by white marble, welcome your customization.

 

Clay model of the David statue

How to make the replica of famous marble sculptures? Michelangelo's David Statue

 

Carve the clay model before the marble sculpture

Joyfull Stone carve the David Statue replica, museum quality famous marble sculpture, Michelangelo's David Statue

 

Finally, we are sharing with the famous quote from the master Michelangelo.

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until set him free.

 

Carve the marble untill set the David free.