In the mid-nineties, my girlfriend and I traveled to Italy and I had the chance to see The David in Florence.

The photos are one thing, but being there and seeing his craftsmanship was mind blowing.

I couldn't fathom how a human being could produce such magnificence from one slab of marble.

I stood there transfixed for as long as I was permitted.

On This Day:

Commissioned by the Overseers of the Office of Works (the Operai) of the Duomo, Florence's cathedral in 1501 to be a symbol of the city, Michelangelo 's Statue of David is regarded as one of the artist's, and the period's, most important sculptural works.

Standing 14 feet high and weighing over 5 tons it was carved from a single block of marble that had already rejected by other artists.

Michelangelo was only 26 when he beg

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