Rare photographs have emerged of the moment Michelangelo’s David statue is meticulously cleaned with a brush and a vacuum to keep the stunning marble masterpiece in top shape.
The 1504 statue, which was completed by Italian genius Michelangelo when he was just 29, is a representation of the Hebrew and Christian biblical figure David, the third King of Israel.
Being the first colossal marble statue carved since Roman times, David has been kept indoors at Galleria dell’Accademia, in Florence, Italy, since 1873.
More than 17 million art lovers visit David every year paying homage to the exquisite craftsmanship of Michelangelo, a polymath, sculpture and artist who also painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, in Rome.
The unusual access to the cleaning process, which happens every two months, shows how a simple brush and vacuum are used to rid the elderly David of any dust he may have accumulated.
As these photographs show, Italian restorer Eleonora Pucci covers every inch of the statue cleaning and taking photographs of any areas that may need more attention.
David is viewed one of the wonders of Renaissance art, but bizarrely last year a US teacher was sacked in Florida for showing students a picture of the classic sculpture, prompting parents to complain it was “pornography”.
