David-WD

Unlike many art masterpieces that fail to wow when seen in real life, Michelangelo’s David lives up to every expectation — and then some. The 17-foot marble legend of Renaissance sculpture, created between 1501 and 1504, was originally commissioned as one of a series of prophets to line the roofline of Florence’s cathedral but was ultimately placed outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of Florentine government. It now occupies a pedestal of honor at the Galleria dell’Accademia. At the time of its creation, Florentines saw David as a symbol of their independent city-state, under constant threat from more powerful rival states around them. In fact, while at the Vecchio. David’s eyes cast a warning glare fixated toward Rome. (Courthouse News photo / William Dotinga)