Damage of 15,000 euros to the David in Piazza della Signoria after yesterday's action

Last night’s action against the black drape that has been shrouding the copy of Michelangelo’s David in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria for several days as a sign of mourning for the war in Ukraine caused 15,000 euros of damage to the statue. Last night Vaclav Pisvejc, already known for other similar actions, in fact burned the drape and was immediately arrested.

This morning the City of Florence announced that the fire at the hands of Pisvejc caused the blackening of a large part of the sculpture’s surface, which will have to be cleaned with specific solvents. The cleaning work will go on for a week and will cost about 15,000 euros.

The statue, a life-size copy of Michelangelo’s David preserved in the Accademia Gallery, was created in 1910 by Luigi Arrighetti, a sculptor originally from Sesto Fiorentino who was commissioned to do the work after it was decided in 1873 to transport the original from the square to the Accademia Gallery. Several years later a competition was held to make the copy, and in 1910 Arrighetti won it.

An inspection was carried out this morning by the city’s fine arts technicians and restorers. In a few hours the carbon residues of combustion inconsistent with the David were removed, but there remained a dark patina resulting mainly from smoke (especially on the shoulders and head) that will have to be removed with special solvents. Of the David, as well as the other sculptural groups in the square, a complete restoration had already been planned thanks to funding from the maison Ferragamo through Art bonus that would begin in a few weeks.

Damage of 15,000 euros to the David in Piazza della Signoria after yesterday's action

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