If you visit Florence today, why not visit the Galleria dell' Accademia, and see the statue everyone knows about and talks about. That statue, if you have not already guessed is statue of David by Michelangelo.

Now, it should be pointed out that you aren't allowed to photograph the art works in the Accademia Gallery because of "copyright Laws" so the purchasing of postcards and pictures from the gift shops is encouraged. Strangely enough, these same laws are not enforced in Rome; you are simply not allowed to use flash cameras around the artwork. As a side note, I ought to point out that Florence receives little funding from Rome or Papi Silvio for the maintenance, let alone restoration, of the breathtaking churches and artwork, so paying just a few euro for a postcard is a small price for the servicing of these treasures.

The statue of David by Michelangelo did not always stand at the Galleria dell' Accademia; originally it was displayed at the Piazza della Signoria. In 1873 , due to growing safety concerns, the original was replaced by a replica which even though not the original, remains to be a wonderful piece of art and truly worth your time to view. There is also no "copyright" limitation because it's a replica so you can take as many pictures as you like.

The checkered history of David by Michelangelo

The famous King David, from the bibles Old Testament, might or might not have been a distant ancestor of Jesus Christ (depending on your own private beliefs and interpretations) but his beginnings and epic journey to ultimate greatness were far from being easy. Much the same is the story of the great Michelangelo's Masterpiece, David.

From modest beginnings there came a King

David, it should be pointed out was chiseled out of a single block of marble and stands at 5.17 meters or 17 ft . tall making the original block of marble huge and very expensive. This large slab of rock originated from a hillside quarry in Carrara, Tuscany, close to 40 years prior to Michelangelo was even born.

Agostino di Duccio, an assistant to Donatello, was the very first to receive the commission and the block of marble. Much to his credit, Di Duccio did imagine his own version of the statue of David in the blank marble block, but his vision of David never became a reality. Two years latter di Duccio abandoned the sculpture declaring the marble as being simply too challenging and time consuming to work with.

Uncovering David by Michelangelo

The partially sculpted stone, which was one day destined for greatness, sat in a cathedral workshop until the year 1474. An artist by the name of Antonio Rossellino took over from where di Duccio left off. however, after a few short months, Rossellino followed the footsteps of di Duccio and abandoned the project blaming the marble's intractability among other things.

By this time, the once great marble block had been cut and chiseled based on the visions of previous artists. To many, this block was now completely ruined and unusable

As they say, "it is always darkest before the dawn" and in 1501 the abandoned piece marble stone was given to a twenty six years old assistant sculptor. This, then 26 yr old assistant, was Michelangelo. Through his eyes, Michelangelo could perceive what the stone should be and not what the artist wanted it to be. In a broad statement he confidently promised that he would finish the statue without drastically cutting it down, altering or adding new pieces to it.

Michelangelo's David was born

Michelangelo worked on the marble for only 3 years before deeming the final completion of what we now consider to be one of the world's greatest sculptures.. From it's staggered beginnings, Michelangelo's David had been uncovered. So much in awe were his contemporaries that they gave the statue of David by Michelangelo a place of honor at the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio.

For close to 350 years, David proudly stood in that place of honor on full display to the public and at the mercy of the elements. In 1873 the statue was transferred to the Accademia Gallery in Florence .