The Statue Of David Size report

Michelangelo represented the highest peak of European Renaissance sculpture art. Many of his works showed extraordinary ideal processing based on realism and became a typical symbol of the entire era. Michelangelo's works have always been known for the "fitness" of the characters; even the female body is depicted with strong muscles. His statue "David" is famous all over the world.

"David" is a marble statue created by Italian sculptor Michelangelo Buonarotti between 1501 and 1504, and it is now collected in the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. "David" embodies the sacred beauty and great passion of the human body, thus becoming one of the most boastful male nude statues in the history of Western art.

David is the image of a young, powerful naked man with a well-built body, a firm expression, full of muscles and vitality. Viewers can even feel the beating of the blood vessels in David's body. When you saw "David" in Florence, you could feel that art can carry and surpass the times. Let's learn more facts about this statue like no other in the world.

David (Michelangelo) Size and Description

Michelangelo drew inspiration for this sculpture from the Biblical story of David. The statue of "David" is a naked, tall, muscular young man. His standing posture is very relaxed and graceful: his legs are naturally open, the right hand is relaxed, the head is turned to the left, and his genitals are naturally drooping. David's face looks exceptionally handsome, and the hair in this sculpture is thick and curly. The statue was carved from a single block of stone by Michelangelo. In order to make the statue look more majestic on the base, the artist intentionally enlarged the figure's head and two arms, making David appear stronger from the viewer's perspective, like a giant.

Measurements of David

David is made from a whole marble, with a height of 3.96 meters and 5.17 meters high with the base. The width of this statue is about 1.99 meters. The youth weighs nearly 12,500 pounds and stands roughly the equivalent of a 2-story building or an adult giraffe.

History of David

When the statue was nearing completion, the Florentine authorities had to admit that they couldn't move the statue, which weighed more than 6 tons, to the cathedral. In June 1504, David was placed near the entrance to the Palazzo de Signoria. Although Michelangelo's studio is only half a mile from Piazza de Signoria, it took four days to move the statue.

The nudity of the early David was controversial, and he was forced to wear 28 copper fig leaves to hide his shame. In 1527, during the riots in Florence, his left forearm was knocked off and struck by lightning. In 1873, the statue of David was removed from the piazza to protect it from damage. And it was placed in the Gallery of the Academy in Florence. The statue was damaged and restored several times before it could be shown as it is today.

Final Words

The size of this statue is not the result of an exaggerated artistic ego. Originally intended to be placed in a ceiling niche in Florence Cathedral, the sculpture had to be large enough to be seen from the pews below. But it was too heavy to be lifted and placed on the ceiling. The David statue has been reproduced countless times, from pictures in coffee table art books to more miniature replicas in all shapes and colors. In addition to the trinkets, there are 30 life-size replicas of David worldwide, the most famous of which is still in Florence. In 1910, a replica was placed in Piazza de Signoria.