Galleria dell'Accademia

David
Michelangelo
marble, 13' 5" H
1501-4

This monumentally scaled statue of the Biblical David was commissioned as a symbol of the Florence republic. Destined originally for one of the buttresses of the Duomo, it was placed instead in the plaza outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of Florence's government.

 
The sense of moral power and tense energy is conveyed not only through the anatomy but through the concentrated gaze of the Biblical hero.
 
The slingshot is held over his shoulder while the other over-sized hand holds the rock. Unlike Donatello, who depicted the heroic David with Goliath's head at his feet, Michelangelo selected the tense moment before the battle.
 



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© 2001 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.

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