The statue of 'David' was inspired by the biblical character who killed the giant Goliath with a single stone from his slingshot. Because of this the name David had been the eternal epitome of anything small but terrible (in the best sense of the word). Thus when the city of Florence needed something to symbolize their city in 1501 the 'David' had been commissioned to Michelangelo to symbolize their city's ability to fight off bigger powers. It took three years for the great artist to finish this masterpiece.
This marble giant of a statue statue had been found to suffer cracks or micro-fissures, specifically on his legs and particularly many on his ankles as far back as 2004. These cracks were thought to have appeared way before 1873 when the statue was brought in after 350 years of being outside showcased in Florence's Piazza della Signoria.Now, six years later, there are talks that this iconic 17-foot-5,572 kg.-statue is bound to collapse.
The cracks were thought to have been caused not only because of the three-hundred-plus-years the statue spent in the outdoors but also because the mere posture of the statue naturally warrants so. Also the marble used to carve off the statue was discovered not to be of high quality and the continuous influx of the 1.5 million tourists who go to Accademia Gallery to see the 'David' yearly also adds to the threat.
Now the tremors and vibrations of the four-mile-high-speed railway and six-level underground train station being constructed beneath Florence, done to improve the city's links with Rome and Milan, is being pointed out as the final straw that would eventually topple one of the world's most recognizable and beloved statues.
Pledges to move the 'David' to a purpose-built museum is now being made in Florence together with the outcry to stop the railway construction.
