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Primary sourceSculpture1501-1504

David

Michelangelo · 1501-1504

A colossal marble statue of the biblical David, carved by Michelangelo and placed in Florence as a symbol of civic liberty.

Michelangelo carved this statue, which established his fame and remains his most celebrated sculpture.

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Full-length white marble statue of a nude young male figure standing in contrapposto, one hand raised to his shoulder, the other at his side, set on a rough base within a domed, pale-walled room.
Michelangelo, David, 1501-1504. Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence.

About this source

What it is

David is a huge marble statue, over five metres tall, carved by Michelangelo between 1501 and 1504 from a block of marble that earlier sculptors had abandoned. It was first set up in the public square of Florence and later moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia, where it is kept today.

Why it matters

The statue made Michelangelo's reputation and became an emblem of the Florentine Republic's independence at a time when the city faced threats from rival states and the Medici family. It was also the first colossal marble statue since ancient times, setting a new standard for Renaissance sculpture.

Look closer

  • Why might a city choose a biblical hero to represent its own freedom?
  • What does the choice of an old, discarded block of marble tell you about Michelangelo's skill?
  • What is left out of this image that you might want to know about how it was made or moved?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Michelangelo Buonarroti on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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A printed plate, numbered 106, in a bound album showing an engraved elevation of a wall tomb with architectural niches, statues, reclining figures, a central arched niche with a seated figure, and a circular medallion at top. Handwritten German caption below reads Entwurf für ein medicäisches Doppelgrab (Orig. in d. Albertina).Artifact

Primary source

Elevation of a Planned Double Tomb for the Magnifici, Medici Chapel

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Wide view of the painted Sistine Chapel ceiling: a grid of framed panels with figures, nude and draped, with pendentives and lunettes in the corners, painted in warm earthy tones.Painting

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Sistine Chapel ceiling

Michelangelo · 1508-1512

Michelangelo's fresco The Last Judgment on a wall. Christ sits at center in a blue halo surrounded by nude figures. Angels blow trumpets above, the dead rise from the ground, and figures fall into a boat and down toward hell at the bottom.Painting

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The Last Judgment

Michelangelo · 1536-1541

Engraved reproduction plate, page numbered 25, of Michelangelo's seated marble statue of Moses in an ornate architectural niche. Moses has a long flowing beard and horns, holds his beard with one hand, and rests on a pedestal inscribed with Latin text. Pencil caption at lower left reads S. Pietro in Vincoli.Photograph

Secondary source

Statue of Moses by Michelangelo, San Pietro in Vincoli

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White marble sculpture of a seated woman in a hooded robe holding the body of a man across her lap. The man's head tilts back, his arm hangs down, and his legs extend to the right. Behind them is a richly veined reddish-brown marble wall.Sculpture

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Pietà

Michelangelo · 1498-1499

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