Today in History—September 8: Michelangelo’s David Is Revealed—But Not All of It
When Michelangelo’s David was unveiled on September 8, 1504, outside Florence’s town hall in the Piazza della Signoria, it was impossible to ignore. Towering 17 feet high, the biblical hero appears poised to confront Goliath: muscles tense, sling at the ready, eyes fixed on an unseen enemy.
At the time, the figure was adorned with a wreath on its head and a garland around its hips.
Yes, that’s right, the world’s most famous nude sculpture was once outfitted with a belt of 28 copper leaves to hide its genitalia. And the idea of covering up its privates may have originated with Michelangelo’s great rival, Leonardo da Vinci.
Earlier in 1504, Florence assembled a 30-member committee—including Leonardo, Sandro Botticelli, and Filippino Lippi—to decide where David should stand. Originally intended for Florence Cathedral’s roof, the statue proved too heavy to hoist and too magnificent to place so high.
Several members favored the Piazza della Signoria for the David, whereas architect Giuliano da Sangallo proposed sheltering it beneath the Loggia della Signoria. Leonardo agreed with Giuliano, recommending that the sculpture be displayed with “ornamento decente,” or “decent ornament.”
Meaning what?
The marble for David was of mediocre quality.
Some historians point to one of Leonardo’s sketches from about the same time that shows a David-like nude with a leaf over its groin, arguing that Leonardo wanted Michelangelo’s masterpiece modestly concealed. It was a curious suggestion from an artist who filled his notebooks with studies of the nude body. Yet Leonardo, then in his 50s, had a notoriously strained relationship with the much younger Michelangelo, whose reputation was rapidly rising.
Other historians, however, contend that “ornamento decente” simply meant an elegant pedestal or architectural setting.
Leonardo’s endorsement for the Loggia was ultimately rejected. But his supposed call for modesty may have prevailed after all: David remained partially covered by the gilded garland for several decades.
- 12,000+ pounds: David’s weight
- 1873: Year David was moved indoors
- 26: Michelangelo’s age when David was commissioned
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- 1974: Former U.S. president Richard Nixon is pardoned
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