- Title: ITALY: MICHELANGELO'S DAVID OFFICIALLY CLEAN, EXPERTS WORRIED ABOUT WEAK ANKLES.
- Date: 24th May 2004
- Summary: (W5) FLORENCE, ITALY (MAY 24, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. GENERAL VIEWS OF FLORENCE 2. PONTE VECCHIO BRIDGE 3. TOURISTS LOOKING AT REPLICA OF DAVID IN SQUARE 4. TOURISTS TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS 5. VARIOUS OF NEWLY-CLEANED DAVID IN GALLERY 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) RESTORER CINZIA PARNIGONI SAYING: "I'm really satisfied. It seems to me that today the David is more beautiful than usual. He definitely has a more luminous light and anyway for a statue that is 500-years old he carries his years well." 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) DIRECTOR OF RESTORATION LABORATORY CRISTINA ACIDINI SAYING: "Needless to say David is one of the most investigated monuments of western civilisation. We have been carefully guided during the restoration process by results that were constantly updated so I am perfectly satisfied with the procedure that was followed and I think its an example that cannot be imitated but can be kept as a landmark." 8. DIGITAL ANIMATION OF THE STATUE AFTER CLEANING 9. STREET STALL SELLING SOUVENIRS OF DAVID 10. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) SALVATORE TRONCHETTI SAYING: "I'm very happy that they have cleaned the David, but they have just concentrated on the David. If you take a look around they haven't cleaned up other monuments that need to be cleaned." 11. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ANDREA PANCETTI SAYING: "I'll definitely go and see it but I don't expect anything in particular. I hope it isn't translucent like another statue that was restored." 12. VARIOUS ANKLES AND LEGS OF DAVID Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 8th June 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: FLORENCE, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVAD52W6072XPE0JVUCTK55S5NOR
- Story Text: Michaelangelo's David is officially declared clean,
but experts are worried about his weak ankles.
The icon of Renaissance male beauty is officially
clean. Michelangelo's statue David was shown-off in
Florence for the first time on Monday (May 24) since his
controversial wash using water and poultices, ahead of his
500th birthday later this year.
The work, completed in the record time of only eight
months, pitted restorers and scholars against each other as
many believed that David's first bath in more than a
century could alter the statue forever.
"I'm really satisfied. It seems to me that today the
David is more beautiful than usual. He definitely has a
more luminous light and anyway for a statue that is
500-years old he carries his years well," said Cinzia
Parnigoni the restorer in charge of the clean up.
Restorers say they were guided in their work by the
amount of information that previous studies had provided on
David. Whilst carrying out the cleaning process, details
and analysis of the statue's condition were added to the
already extensive amount of research on the work.
"Needless to say David is one of the most investigated
monuments of western civilisation. We have been carefully
guided during the restoration process by results that were
constantly updated so I am perfectly satisfied with the
procedure that was followed and I think its an example that
cannot be imitated but can be kept as a landmark," said
Director of the restoration laboratory Cristina Acidini.
The statue itself will not be open for the public until
Tuesday (May 25) and many Fiorentine residents cant wait to
see it although some voiced doubt over whether so much
attention should have been paid to just one item.
"I'm very happy that they have cleaned the David, but
they have just concentrated on the David. If you take a
look around they haven't cleaned up other monuments that
need to be cleaned," said Salvatore Tronchetti.
"I'll definitely go and see it but I don't expect
anything in particular. I hope it isnt translucent like
another statue that was restored," said Andrea Pancetti
expressing a concern held by many art lovers.
Whilst the five-metre (16 foot) statue has up until now
survived lightning, medieval riots and a dousing in acid it
looks like the years have taken their toll and cracks have
started to appear in David's left ankle.
It is hardly surprising that the six-tonne marble nude
depicting the biblical hero who killed Goliath is weakening
after standing up since 1504. But now experts wish to carry
out a CAT scan to see just how weak his ankles really are -
the thought of him one day just toppling over is simply too
much to bear.
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