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Michelangelo's David 'has weak ankles and could collapse'
Michelangelo's David 'has weak ankles and could collapse'
Weak ankles leave Michelangelo's statue of the boy warrior David vulnerable to collapse, Italian scientists confirm with new tests
Vibrations caused by the millions of tourists who flock to Florence to see it and the rumbling of passing traffic is thought to have damaged the statue
It is one of the world's most famous statues, representing the Renaissance ideal of the male physique, but Michelangelo's David is in danger of collapsing because of its weak ankles, new tests have revealed.
Italian scientists have found tiny fractures in the statue's ankles which means it is at risk of toppling over.
The tests by the National Research Council and Florence University confirmed what has long been feared – that the celebrated work has been weakened over the centuries by its great weight.
Vibrations caused by the millions of tourists who flock to Florence to see it and the rumbling of passing traffic is thought to have damaged the statue.
The cracks have also been blamed on the fact that for more than a century the 17ft-high, 5.5 tonne statue of the boy warrior leaned at an angle, and also on the poor quality marble from which Michelangelo sculpted it.
"Micro-fractures are visible in the left ankle and the carved tree stump (that bears some of David's weight), threatening the stability of the sculpture," the research council warned in a statement.
Scientists made small plaster copies of David's fissure-ridden ankles, placing them in a centrifuge and exposing them to strong pressure.
The statue stood in Florence's Piazza della Signoria, exposed to the elements, for more than 350 years before it was removed in 1873 and placed in the Galleria dell'Accademia.
A copy was made and now stands outside the city's Renaissance-era town hall, the Palazzo Vecchio.
For years there have been calls for the statue to be removed from the city centre and transferred to a specially-built, earthquake proof museum away from traffic and road works.
Michelangelo spent three years creating the statue of David, the biblical hero who killed Goliath with a single stone from his slingshot.
It was commissioned by the city's rulers in the early 1500s as a symbol of the Florentine Republic's commercial and military strength and its capacity, despite its small size, to ward off bigger neighbouring states.
Michelangelo's David 'has weak ankles and could collapse' - Telegraph
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