In the spring of 1501, twenty-six-year-old Michelangelo Buonarroti returned from Rome to Florence, where he was born, hoping to land the commission to sculpt the biblical King David from a huge chunk of white Carrara marble people called “The Giant.” Other sculptors had tried to release David from the oblong stone. All had failed.
But he was Michelangelo.
“The Giant” had lain abandoned in Florence Cathedral’s yard for thirty-five years. Michelangelo meant to convince the overseers of the Cathedral and its works he could free David from that white block of marble for the roof of the Cathedral. There, his David would stand high above the city alongside eleven more Old Testament statues from various artists.
The decision took time. Renaissance Florence was a hotbed of talented sculptors and other craftsmen. So what if Michelangelo already had the Pietà of St. Peter’s under his belt?
Never one to let dust settle beneath his feet, Michelangelo had begun work on another commission when he learned he had the job. His contract stipulated that for his work he would earn six gold florins a month for two years.
And so on Monday September 13, 1501, in a large shed built near the Cathedral for the purpose, he set chisel to stone.
A Giant in the Making
Abandoned and left exposed to the elements for almost forty years, the chunk of white marble had been almost ruined by rain and wind. Would Michelangelo’s attempt prove foolhardy? May the world give thanks, the answer is “No.”
By early 1504, he had put the finishing touches on the David, a work so magnificent the Cathedral Committee knew it deserved a more visible location than up in the clouds. No doubt their decision was influenced by the fact the colossus stood seventeen feet tall and weighed six tons.
But where should it go?
While most depictions of David featured a boy, Michelangelo’s version was that of a muscular man with a sling in one hand and a rock in the other. Though pensive, he is ready for action.
Location, Location, Location
On January 25, 1504, the committee assembled a panel of renowned artists and other citizens to decide where to place the David. Along with Michelangelo, the artisans included Leonardo da Vinci, Filippino Lippi, and Sandro Botticelli. By now, forty-eight-year-old Leonardo had completed two masterpieces, The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Filippino Lippi, who was forty-seven and the son of painter Fra Filippo Lippi, had trained in Botticelli’s workshop, Botticelli & Company. To his credit, Filippino had many lovely paintings, including Tobias and the Angel.
Sandro, fifty-nine, had already created Primavera and The Birth of Venus.
The panel discussed nine locations. In the end, the Committee accepted Michelangelo’s choice and agreed to place the statue at the entrance of Palazzo della Signoria (today, Palazzo Vecchio), City Hall, in the heart of downtown Florence. The question now became how to get the colossal statue the half mile from the Cathedral yard to Piazza della Signoria.
The statue was big. And heavy. And fragile.
A Giant on the Move
“14th May. The marble giant was taken out of the (yard), and they had to break down the wall above the door so that it could come through. During the night stones were thrown at the giant to injure it, therefore it was necessary to guard it. It went slowly, being bound in an erect position, and suspended so that it did not touch the ground with its feet.
It took four days to reach the Piazza, moved along by more than 40 men. Beneath it there were 14 greased beams changed from hand to hand; and they labored till the 8th July, 1504, to place it. The said giant had been made by Michelangelo Buonarroti.” ~ A Florentine Diary, Luca Landucci, Apothecary
What Next?
Florence was dazzled. And Michelangelo was now without question the greatest sculptor in Italy.
Sadly, Filippino Lippi died in April, not long after the David was placed outside City Hall.
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Earlier in the year, Leonardo had been commissioned to paint the Battle of Anghiari in the council chamber of Palazzo della Signoria. Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the Battle of Cascina on an adjacent wall. Neither work was completed, and both were lost when the chamber was redecorated.
Both frescoes were much admired, however, and renderings remain of them, Leonardo's work having been copied by Rubens and Michelangelo's by Sangallo.
Sandro Botticelli went on to produce many masterpieces in the six years remaining to him.
All the while, Michelangelo and the others were looking over their shoulders at a young, up-and-coming Florentine painter whose star was on the rise. His name was Raphael.
In 1873, after almost 400 years, to protect it from damage, the David was moved indoors to the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, where it is one of the most visited art treasures in the world. Today, a replica stands in front of Palazzo Vecchio.
Back to the Future
And there it is. These tidbits of history fascinate me, so much so, I have written two historical mysteries drawing on these times, these people. The first book, The Sign of the Weeping Virgin, centers on the behind-the-scenes tattle surrounding a painting by Sandro Botticelli.
The current title, The Hearts of All on Fire, features a mysterious sketch by the likable Leonardo. Currently, I’m writing Book III in my Guid’Antonio Vespucci series, wherein we are back in Florence, surrounded by mystery, mayhem, and magnificent art.
And—big news! Book III (a work in progress) is a finalist in the Historical Novel Society First Three Chapters Competition. I must get to my pen.
Fascinating stuff-- wasn't aware of the "peer review" committee that decided on the placement. What a remarkable period when not only was there Michelangelo to create the statue, but a Hall of Fame of artists available to decide on a suitable place for it. Great post!
Did you know your angel logo represents Sandro Botticelli? So which of the Three Graces is his fiery arrow directed at? It’s said he had a soft spot for Simonetta Vespucci, but alas, she was already married. Botticelli requested he be buried close to Simonetta’s tomb.