FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2023-146 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (September 13, 2023) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we take a look into the history of a famous colossal sculpture.

The Colosso

On September 13, 1501, Michelangelo began sculpting his masterpiece, David.

The statue stands 17 feet tall and weighs 6 tons. The Biblical figure, made from one solid block of Carrara marble, took him three years to complete.

It was originally designed for the roof of the Florence Cathedral, but its sheer mass made raising the statue impossible.  Instead it was installed on the Piazza Della Signoria outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall of Florence.

Not only does the classical figure of youth portray the religious hero of the battle against Goliath, but it represents the city of Florence as an independent and strong city in the Renaissance.

Today a replica stands in the piazza, ready to fight off pigeons and tourists, and the original resides indoors at the Galleria dell ’Accademia for safe keeping.

Editor’s Note: Another replica of Michelangelo’s DAVID – one of only two such replicas – stands in the garden on the grounds of Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum in St. Augustine, FL  

Elwe’s double-page map of the Italian States is presented here from 1792.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.