Battle Begins Over Michelangelo’s David in Italy
16 August '10 by the editors
A longstanding tug-of-war has resumed between the city of Florence and the Italian state over Michelangelo’s David, after a report by state-appointed lawyers was made public. The document argues that although the statue was commissioned by the Florentine Republic in 1501, Italy became the rightful title-holder after its unification in the 19th century.
Florence’s mayor, Matteo Renzi, refuted the claim, saying, according to news reports, that a decree issued shortly after unification granted ownership of the building where the David was displayed to the city; the national government’s lawyers replied that the decree made no mention of the statue itself.
With its depiction of Goliath’s slayer, the David was a symbol of the freedom and autonomy of the Florentine Republic, and an important source of civic pride. At a press conference on Monday, Mayor Renzi declared that “Michelangelo’s David belongs to Florence — there are no legal doubts, all the documents confirm it.”
Italy’s Culture Minister, Sandro Bondi, meanwhile, issued a statement of Monday describing the battle over the statue as “absurd and inopportune.”
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