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David was created between 1501 and 1504 Michelangelo. It stands at an impressive 17 feet in height and is carved of marble. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favored subject in the art of Florence. It was originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roof line of the east end of the Duomo. Its size made such placement highly impractical and it was instead placed in the square outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of Florentine government. The sculpture was unveiled on September 8, 1504 when Michelangelo was just 29 years old. Because of the nature of the hero that it represented, it soon came to symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the Florentine Republic, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were turned towards Rome. Because of the toll taken on it by the outdoor elements, the statue was moved to the Accademia Gallery in Florence in 1873. It was replaced at the original location by a replica that, though accurate, nevertheless lacks the power of the original.
© Paul L. Gleiser. All Rights Reserved.