David Marble Statue, Michelangelo, Accademia Gallery, Florence Print

Michelangelo David Marble Statue, Galleria dell' Accademia, Florence, Italy Created in marble between 1501 and 1504 by Michelangelo, David is a 17 ft. marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favored subject in the art of Florence. David was originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, but was instead placed in a public square, outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of civic government in Florence, in the Piazza Della Signoria where it was unveiled on September 8, 1504. The statue of David has become an iconic symbol of the defense of civil liberties, embodying the values of the Republic of Florence during a time when it was threatened by more powerful states and the political aspirations of the Medici family1. In 1873, the original statue was moved to the Galleria dell’ Accademia in Florence, and a replica was placed at the original location.