The Sculpture Based from a Bible Tale

The story of David and Goliath comes from the bible, it is a tale about a young man by the name of David who had volunteered to fight Goliath, a giant who had challenged the Israelites. No one took up his challenge as most people were scared by the giant, that is until David did, not even King Saul who was the tallest man in the country wanted to confront the giant. He had heard of Goliath but it wasn’t until he went to go and get his news of his brothers. On his travels he heard Goliath bellowing of his authority over the Israelites in which David wasn’t pleased about it and set out to fight Goliath with the approval of the King Saul.

When it came to the day of the epic battle before they proceeded to fight David spoke of the reason why he doesn’t fear Goliath and the comparison of the two: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

Goliath being headstrong went to attack David first without thinking, David seized the opportunity of the raging Giant and grabbed a stone and then slang it in the Giant’s forehead – the only part of him that wasn’t covered in armour. As Goliath fell down David grabbed his sword and killed him with it. To show that he was successful he cut of Goliath’s head and held it high so that the Israelites could see of his victory. David chose not to wear armour because he felt it would hamper his movement and he wasn’t familiar with it.

It is said that David is meant to represent David who took down Goliath, other artist’s depictions of David such as Verrochio’s and Donatello’s have been after he conquered Goliath in both of them they show him with Goaliths head severed. But Michelangelo wanted to show David before the battle. He wanted to show how David felt at the time and show that he was tense not in a physical sense but in a mental sense. Also, notice the way he is holding his slingshot making it seem like it is almost invisible, this was done to show how he was smart and calculating and not resorting to sheer force.

The 5.17 metre Sculpture was created between 1501 and 1504 and is a favoured subject in Florence.  It was originally positioned high on the façade of the Florence Cathedral, but it was later placed in a public square outside the Palazzo della Signoria. It became the symbol of the defence of civil liberties that were represented by then Florentine Republic, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were turned towards Rome. Now the statue is displayed in the Accademia Gallery while a replica stands in original place. Florence is home to some of the best Tuscany villas you can find, making the trip to view this world famous masterpiece even more tempting.