David

Michelangelo was only 26 years old when he received a commission from the wool merchants' guild in 1501 to create a sculpture of the biblical character for the decoration of the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral. The artist faced a challenging task — to carve a gigantic sculpture out of a block of marble that had already been rejected by two masters. Both sculptors had abandoned this marble block because of its low quality and fragility. In addition to the marble's internal weaknesses, there were other elements that made working with it difficult: veins running through the entire block and countless taroli, or holes, perforating the surface.

However, despite all these difficulties, Michelangelo took on the challenge and over two years transformed the marble block into the statue of David—a symbol of defiance and strength of spirit. He worked alone, without assistants, moving around the giant marble block on scaffolding. By January 1504, the statue was completed. Its perfect beauty so astounded the Florentines that a special council was urgently formed to choose the most suitable location for "David". This council included the most distinguished citizens of Florence, among them Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci.

Thus, it was decided to place "David" in the Piazza della Signoria near the government palace, where the statue was moved on September 8, 1504, and remained there until July 1873.

The sculpture, made from a monolithic block of precious Carrara marble, stands 5.17 meters tall and weighs more than 6 tons. "David" is recognized as a standard of male beauty in the Renaissance era and one of the most significant masterpieces of world art.

The image of the biblical king had inspired artists before, but all of Michelangelo's predecessors depicted him as a victor, with Goliath's head at his feet. Michelangelo's artistic innovation was to capture the hero at the moment of preparing for the decisive battle for the first time. The statue portrays a nude young man of powerful build, ready for combat with a dangerous enemy. His proud head with a tuft of hair, furrowed brows, and firmly clenched lips speak of an indomitable will.

The lines of the body are anatomically perfect, the relaxed pose testifies to confidence and strength, and the sling thrown over his left shoulder promises a deadly strike to the opponent. The internal tension and determination are visible in the concentrated gaze of the youth, in the protruding veins where blood seems to truly flow, in the tense muscles of the perfect body.

Today, there are many copies of the "David" sculpture around the world. Florence wanted to gift one to Jerusalem, but the offer was declined: the figure of David was considered too explicit, and moreover, the youth was not circumcised, which contradicts the religious traditions of Jews.

Michelangelo's "David" holds the record for the number of copies and casts. The most famous of these are located:

• in the Piazza della Signoria (Florence);
• on the Piazzale Michelangelo (Florence);
• in the Italian Hall of the Academy of Arts (Saint Petersburg);
• in the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) — a copy known for being equipped with a fig leaf during queen's visits to the museum.