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Few sculptures are as famous as Michelangelo’s David, and if you’ve ever seen it you’ll understand why. The masterpiece of the Renaissance period was completed in 1504, when Michelangelo was just 29 years old, and today over 8 million people per year visit the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence so they can marvel at the iconic marble statue.
David is 17ft tall (over 5 metres), weighs 12,478 lbs (5,660kg), and was carved from a huge single block of unwanted Carrara marble. He took over two years to carve and he depicts the Biblical David who took down Goliath with a well aimed slingshotted rock to the forehead. It looks magnificent enough from a distance, but if you really want to appreciate Michelangelo’s mastery then you need to take a closer look at his incredible attention to detail.
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Michelangelo started to carve the statue of David from a single block of unwanted marble in 1501
Two other sculptors had tried to carve the block before abandoning their respective projects, and the marble laid unused for 10 years
It took him 2 years, and the result is 17ft tall (over 5 metres) and weighs a whopping 12,478 lbs (5,660kg)!
It depicts the Biblical David, who took down Goliath with a well aimed rock to the forehead
Image credits: Miguel Hermoso Cuesta
Over 8 million people per year visit the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence so they can marvel at the iconic marble statue
Image credits: Jörg Bittner Unna
It looks magnificent from a distance, but you need to take a closer look to appreciate Michelangelo’s incredible attention to detail
Image credits: Rabe!
“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all,” Michelangelo once said
Image credits: EFE
Michelangelo died in 1564, aged 88, but his statue of David will live on forever
Image credits: Alberto Pizzoli
Here’s an idea of what David might look like in real life
