THREE DAVIDS: GALLERIA DELL’ACCADEMIA & THE BARGELLO
Like the Gates of Paradise, the original David was moved to a safer indoor location; this was after a bench thrown from the Palazzo Vecchio had broken off his left arm. The Galleria dell’Accademia is equally famous for housing Michelangelo’s unfinished slave series (which I was unable to adequately photograph, due to the low light). From Wikipedia:
Rossellino’s contract was terminated, soon thereafter, and the block of marble originally from a quarry in Carrara, a town in the Apuan Alps in northern Italy, remained neglected for twenty-five years, all the while exposed to the elements in the yard of the cathedral workshop. The rain and wind weathered it down to a smaller size than was originally planned. This was of great concern to the Operai authorities, as such a large piece of marble was both costly, and represented a large amount of labor and difficulty in its transportation to Florence. In 1500, an inventory of the cathedral workshops described the piece as, “a certain figure of marble called David, badly blocked out and supine.” A year later, documents showed that the Operai were determined to find an artist who could take this large piece of marble and turn it into a finished work of art. They ordered the block of stone, which they called The Giant, “raised on its feet” so that a master experienced in this kind of work might examine it and express an opinion. Though Leonardo da Vinci and others were consulted, it was young Michelangelo, only twenty-six years old, who convinced the Operai that he deserved the commission. On August 16, 1501, Michelangelo was given the official contract to undertake this challenging new task. He began carving the statue early in the morning on Monday, September 13, a month after he was awarded the contract. He would work on the massive biblical hero for a little more than three years
The Bargello houses many famous sculptures, yet none more amazing than Donatello’s David. Unlike Michelangelo’s oddly serene contrapposto pose anticipating the fight with Goliath, this sculpture depicts the aftermath: his haughty swagger suggests he has a bit more sugar in his tank, made all the more apparent by his oversized sword, over-articulated genitals, and the tantalizing feather resting on his thigh. The last David shown here is from Verrocchio, and is also located in the Bargello. While expertly crafted, it lacks the originality and splendor of the previous two. It is is worth mentioning that the model was rumored to have been a handsome pupil in his workshop…Leonardo Da Vinci.
