Statue in marble by
Michelangelo (150104; Accademia, Florence). The subject of David, biblical boy hero who killed the giant Goliath, was a popular symbol of the small republic of Florence; that Michelangelo portrayed the diminutive hero as a giant was seen as a grand statement of civic confidence. The sculpture's size (about 5.5 m/18 ft), combined with the mastery of its execution, has made it a symbol of the Renaissance itself.
© RM 2012. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.