Up next in 10
Why Michelangelo’s David is More Impressive Than You Think
2K views
Mar 27, 2025
Michelangelo’s David is one of the most recognizable works of art to come from the Renaissance. The origins of this iconic sculpture located in Florence, Italy are more complicated than you might think. In this video, Camille explains the story of how a slab of marble became the masterpiece we know as David.
View Video Transcript
0:00
If there's one thing Florence is known for..
0:04
It's this. Wait, no. This? This? No. This. When you think of Florence, Italy, or when you think of sculptures
0:19
imagery of something like this might pop into your head. Hi, I'm Camille, and let me introduce you to Michelangelo's David
0:27
David is an icon in art history known for its lifelike anatomy
0:30
The statue of David. Carved to what seems like literal perfection, David is a symbol of the Renaissance
0:38
a period known as the rebirth of classical art. And not to mention one of the most recognizable works of art like ever
0:46
Today, there are full-size replicas of David all around the world to study and admire this remarkable artistic feat
0:53
This 17-foot tall artistic feat. But there's so much more to David's story, and to understand what makes this sculpture so unique
1:00
we have to go back in time. Picture this. The year is 1296. The Republic of Florence, Italy created a committee called the
1:13
Opera del Duomo to oversee the construction of the famous Cathedral of Florence. And so by the 15th
1:20
century, the committee decided they wanted to decorate the cathedral with heroes from the Old
1:24
and they were going to use 12,000 pound solid slabs of marble from Carrara, Italy to do it
1:32
Okay, now we're in the year 1463, and the committee decides to commission artist
1:37
Agostino Di Duccio to sculpt this gigantic 12 pound marble slab into a sculpture of David the hero from the story of David and Goliath Agostino quickly dropped the project claiming that working with a 12 slab of marble was unmanageable
1:55
Imagine. But don't lose hope yet. Here comes Antonio Rossellino to finish the job to sculpt our hero David over 10 years later in 1476
2:06
Just kidding. He too stepped down from the project shortly after beginning it now claiming that the slab of marble was unworkable
2:14
Because someone else had already started sculpting it Yeah, are now unmanageable unworkable slab marble destined to be the great David was left outside
2:25
Untouched for 25 years fast forward to 1501. This is where we meet our hero
2:30
Michelangelo, the one who steps up to the plate to sculpt the original hero that
2:37
we're talking about. Yes, David. Michelangelo, you may have heard of the guy
2:41
one of the most famous artists of all time. I bought an original drawing by Michelangelo
2:45
You may know him for painting the Sistine Chapel, for sculpting David, or..
2:49
Come on, admit it dudes, you read it too. Yeah, he's a pretty popular guy. So in 1501, 26-year-old Michelangelo would spend the next three years
3:00
of his life sculpting a slab of marble that was left for scraps by two other artists into a 17
3:07
foot tall 12 000 pound masterpiece we know as David. A work of art that would soon become known
3:15
to all and become the main attraction of Florence, Italy. So why is David so famous? Like can you
3:22
imagine literally carving 12 000 pounds of solid marble that had already been chipped away at by
3:29
by other artists it an impressive feat coupled with three years of a life dedication to complete And beyond that Michelangelo gave us a new way of seeing David a character often portrayed as a child was now standing in all of his marble glory as a man
3:45
This never-before-seen interpretation of David left everyone shook because it defied the story of David and Goliath
3:54
We're presented with a more mature David in deep thought, moments before he slays the giant rather than after
4:02
Our independent marvel thinker quickly became a symbol of Florence known around the world
4:08
And in fact, there's actually three Davids in Florence alone. That's right
4:14
Three 17-foot tall sculptures, widely regarded as perfection, in one city alone
4:21
That's quite a treat. After realizing it was a little unrealistic to place a 12,000-pound sculpture on top of
4:27
the cathedral, crazy, I know, the cathedral committee decided to place the original
4:32
David sculpture in the Piazza della Signoria. But in 1873, the original David was moved to
4:38
its current home in the Galleria dell'Accademia Florence to be protected from the elements
4:44
Wait, 1873? That means David was over 300 years old at that point already. In 1873! Wow
4:53
Also in 1873, a bronze replica was placed in the Piazza dei Michelangelo as a tribute to the great
5:00
artist himself. So that's two Davids, the original and the bronze replica. That leaves us with David
5:06
number three. A marble replica was placed in its original home in Piazza della Signoria in 1910
5:13
and you can still see this replica today. And maybe you'll take a better picture than I did
5:18
I think David somewhere in this photo So you want to meet David yourself First Identify the real David That the one in the Galleria dell Florence Lucky for you the Galleria is only a 10 minute walk from Piazza del Duomo
5:34
so browse the breathtaking cathedral, grab some gelato, and make your way over to see David
5:40
You might want to buy your tickets in advance to avoid long wait times
5:44
When you're admiring our favorite Renaissance sculpture, you may notice stress fractures from years of foot traffic
5:50
so just be a little gentle. Oof. It's not surprising that a 17-foot-tall, 12,000-pound, centuries-old sculpture
5:58
has a lot more history than meets the eye. Speaking of eyes
6:02
did you know that one of David's eyes is looking slightly off into the other direction
6:07
It's intentional. Knowing Michelangelo, it would only make sense that every artistic decision he made
6:13
would have intention, right? Because the sculpture is gigantic and meant to be viewed from below
6:18
viewers typically only see one of David's eyes at once. David's left eye
6:23
meets yours while his right eye is staring slightly into the distance, perhaps
6:28
strategizing for a near victory in the story of David and Goliath, the very
6:33
reason this world-famous sculpture was made and we're talking about it today
6:36
Thank you so much for watching! If you enjoyed this video and are interested in
6:40
learning more for your future travels, visit brighttrip.com for a variety of
6:45
courses on things like how to travel solo, how to document your trip, country
6:50
specific courses, and more. Bright Trip helps you travel smarter so head over and
6:54
take the course today. Who doesn't want to travel smarter? Thanks again for watching. Make sure you subscribe for more videos and comment your favorite
7:01
Ninja Turtle below. Ciao
#Sculpture
#Tourist Destinations
#Visual Art & Design