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Michelangelo's David
Florence's Galleria d'Accademia has long lines for one reason—Michelangelo's David—but is packed with other artistic delights, from Michaengelo's amazing unfinished Slaves to works by Giambologna, Andrea del Sarto, and Botticelli
Many visitors come to Florence and don't care about the Uffizi or the Duomo. They just have one question on their lips "Which way to the David?" The Accademia galleries contain many paintings (by Perugino, Botticelli, Andrea del Sarto, Pontormo, etc.), and Giambologna's plaster study for the Rape of the Sabines, but most people come here for one thing only.
In 1501 Michelangelo took an enormous piece of marble that a previous sculptor had chipped at before declaring it unworkable, and by 1504 turned it into a Goliath-sized David, a masterpiece of the male nude. The sculpture is so realistic, so classically lifelike—shifting its weight onto one leg and holding its sling nonchalantly on its shoulder—that it completely changed the way in which people thought about sculpting the human body. David was for a long time in front of the Palazzo Vecchio (a replica stands there now), and stuck inside like this room it looks a little over-large, giving it an oafish air.
Tips
The Accademia lines start early and in summer can stretch for blocks an over an hour—why I recommend forking over the €3 free to book ahead. If you show up at opening time and don't have a long wait, you can pop in and admire David in about 20 minutes, although it would take at least 45 to wander the rest of the Accademia's worthy collections.
The hall leading to the David is lined with Michelangelo's nonfiniti (unfinished) Slaves, or Prisoners—to many people more interesting than the David itself.
These Slaves are in varying degrees of being worked on, and give a critical insight into how Michelangelo approached his craft—chipping away first at the abdomen and fully realizing that part before moving on to rough out limbs and faces. Their title, Slaves, is rather appropriate as these muscular, primordial figures seem to be struggling to emerge from their stony prisons.
The Palestrina Pietà here was long attributed to Michelangelo but most scholars now believe it is the work of his students. The statue of St. Matthew(begun in 1504) is, however, by the master. A number of 15th- and 16th-century Florentine artists are here; search out the Madonna del Mare (Madonna of the Sea) attributed to Botticelli or his student Filippino Lippi.
Via Ricasoli 60
tel. +39-055-238-8609
Book tickets: tel. +39-055-294-883, www.firenzemusei.it
Closed Mondays
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This material was last updated January 2007. All information was accurate at the time.
Copyright © 1998-2008 by Reid Bramblett. All rights reserved.
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