On 8 September 1504 the people of Florence saw the unveiling of the marble statue of David, carved by Michelangelo from a block of Carrara marble that two other sculptors had abandoned as flawed, and had worked on it for over two years, from the age of 26. The statue stands 5.17 metres tall. It shows David before his fight with Goliath, tense and alert, and was set up in front of the Palazzo della Signoria as a symbol of the city's republican freedom. It was moved indoors to the Accademia in 1873 to protect it. It is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture.
Before and after
- 1 January 1502Birth of Gregory XIII
- c. 1500sMona Lisa
- 14 December 1503Birth of Nostradamus
- 17 January 1504Birth of Pius V
- 8 September 1504Michelangelo's David is unveiled
- from 16 March 1505 to 26 January 1517Mamluk–Portuguese conflicts
- 18 April 1506Construction of St. Peter's Basilica
- 20 May 1506Death of Christopher Columbus
- 1507Founding of Mumbai
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1540Construction of Westminster Abbey
- 1616Construction of Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- 1670Construction of avenue des Champs-Élysées
- 17th centuryRise of ukiyo-e
- 25 April 1719Publication of Robinson Crusoe
- October 1745Publication of God Save the King
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.