A Portrait of David
David is a Renaissance masterpiece sculpted by Michelangelo, and is widely known for its masculine beauty. It depicts the Biblical David just before his epic battle with Goliath and was unveiled in the early 1500s near the seat of Florentine government, Palazzo dells Signoria. Some three hundred years later, it was moved into the Accademia Gallery. A replica (the one featured today) now stands in its place.
David in the Bible represented courage and triumph in the face of adversity. By extension, Michelangelo’s David, with his steely stare and poised posture, also came to symbolize the Florentine struggle to guard its liberties against rival states as well as the powerful Medici family.
The original statue in Accademia is one of the most frequently visited artworks in Florence. If you plan to visit, online bookings are a definite, unless queuing doesn’t bother you. There is also a strict no photography rule (which is frequently secretly flouted), but you can shoot to your heart’s content at this replica near Palazzo Vecchio.
8 comments on “A Portrait of David”
Leave a Reply
My Flickr
More Photos
Blog at WordPress.com. Theme: Duotone by Automattic.
Simply stunning. There was no photography rule at the Sistine Chapel, too. Like it was followed! Not sure why this rule, as we could freely photo St. Peter’s Basilica.
Sistine chapel- I was almost thrown out of that place. Guess my dslr was a bit blatant. Put my Asian looks to work and pretended I didn’t understand English. I always wonder if such rules are preservation or copyright driven.
I must have been in the Accademia before the no-photography rule! But that was 25 years ago.
Lucky you. Has David always been standing in that corner? It seems made for it.
You can see for yourself:
https://sanslartigue.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/during/
Perfect picture! Must have been exciting to be able to photograph something like that!
yeah. they say the outdoor replica is inferior. To my untrained eye, it just looks a bit worse for wear
[...] A Portrait of David (lightslant.wordpress.com) [...]