What was the history of the marble block that became David?
Published in Daily Trivia
The history of Michelangelo's David goes back to 1464. The Operai had plans to commission a series of twelve large Old Testament sculptures and contracted Donatello's assistant, Agostino to create a sculpture of David. He only barely began to rough out the piece before quitting in 1466 and the block of marble remained neglected for twenty-five years, all the while exposed to the elements. This was of great concern, as such a large piece of marble was both costly, and involved a large amount of labor and danger in its transportation. In 1500, they ordered the block of stone (called The Giant) "raised on its feet" so that a master might examine it. Though Leonardo da Vinci and others were consulted, it was young Michelangelo, only 26 years old, who convinced the Operai that he deserved the commission.
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