In which Italian city was Michelangelo’s David unveiled in 1504?

Michelangelo’s David was unveiled in Florence in 1504.

The marble statue was commissioned for the Florence Cathedral complex, but its enormous scale and exceptional quality led officials to reconsider its placement. Instead of setting it high on the cathedral, they installed it outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of Florentine government. There it became a symbol of the republic’s independence and vigilance.

Michelangelo carved David from a single block of marble that other sculptors had previously abandoned. The biblical hero is shown before his battle with Goliath, an unusual choice compared with many earlier images that depicted the victory afterward. In 1873, the original statue was moved indoors to Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia, while a copy was placed in the original outdoor location.