This is it — the real David in the Accademia di Belle Arti (Academy of Fine Arts) in Florence. No, you’re not supposed to photograph it. But I hid in a bunch of photo-snapping tourists until the guard stopped us. Safety in numbers…
Two things I hadn’t expected were the size of the statue — it’s 16 feet tall — and the amazing detail. You really can see the sinews and muscles. It’s hard to believe that Michelangelo achieved such detail with stone.
Dolled-up David in the courtyard:
Giambologna‘s gesso for his sculpture, “Rape of the Sabine Women” (1574-82). The sculpture itself is in the Loggia dei Lanzi, near the Uffizi gallery.
One of Michelangelo’s four unfinished Prisoners, intended for Pope Julius’s tomb. I’m fairly certain it’s the Atlas slave.
“Coronation of the Virgin,” by Giovanni di Marco detto Giovanni dal Ponte (Florence 1385-1437):
