5David Has Suffered Both Natural And Inflicted Deterioration

In 1527, David was hit by a chair thrown by rioters in the Piazza della Signoria during an anti-Medici protest. The chair damaged the statue’s arm in several places. In 1991, an Italian artist named Piero Cannata attacked the statue. After smuggling a hammer into the Galleria dell’Accademia, where David is held, he smashed off one of the statue’s toes with it. He later claimed that a model for Renaissance artist Paolo Veronese had told him to do so.

David’s weathering over time has also been attributed to heavy tourist traffic. Millions of viewers come from all around the world to visit the statue at Galleria dell’Accademia, and their footsteps around the statue create small, almost constant vibrations. These miniature, earthquake-like vibrations have worn down and cracked the marble of David’s legs, prompting restoration work.

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