Donatello and Michangelo's Davids

Salon IFA 185 reports of the 2 David's ~(copies of which can be seen in the V&A cast court)

'David’s dodgy legs and golden hair


Two further science stories from this week’s press concern two of the best-known works of the Florentine Renaissance, both of them statues of David. In the case of Michelangelo’s monumental statue, stress-scanning techniques have born out Vasari’s account of its carving: such was Michelangelo’s skill that he took on the challenge of creating a figure from a block of Carrara marble so flawed that no other sculptor would touch it. Using new techniques that help medical scientists detect bone weaknesses in living humans, Professor Vadim Shapiro, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has found weaknesses in Michelangelo’s David in his left thigh, right shin and ankles which could eventually lead to the sculpture’s collapse without pre-emptive repairs. The findings match the position of cracks found recently during cleaning of the sculpture.


At the other end of the scale, Donatello’s diminutive David is being cleaned of the thick layer of wax and oil that was applied to the statue in the eighteenth century. Conservators using the sort of laser equipment that is normally deployed to treat the eye condition glaucoma say that they have found gold leaf on the statue, which they believe was applied to David’s wavy hair, his sandals and the helmet of Goliath to highlight these areas and emphasise David’s nudity and vulnerability. Donatello used the same technique in another work, Attis, which was restored in 2005 and is also on show at the Bargello.'