David is the 1504 sculpture by Michelangelo depicting the biblical hero in Florence. Carved from a single block of marble, the colossal figure presents David before his battle with Goliath rather than after the victory.
Michelangelo worked on the statue from 1501 to 1504. The original commission intended the sculpture for a high position on Florence Cathedral, but its scale and visual power led officials to place it outside the Palazzo Vecchio in the Piazza della Signoria. It later moved indoors for protection, and the original is now in the Galleria dell’Accademia.
Michelangelo’s David differs from Donatello’s earlier bronze David and Verrocchio’s bronze version. Those works show the hero after defeating Goliath, while Michelangelo emphasizes concentrated anticipation. The statue became a symbol of the Florentine Republic and is one of the best-known masterpieces of Renaissance sculpture.