At first glance, this statue doesn't seem to be hiding much. In fact, to say the least, it shows... everything.

And yet, it conceals many secrets.

First of all, do you know who this famous David is? He's the hero of the Bible, the young shepherd who has the courage to confront Goliath, the Philistine giant. Armed with a slingshot, he accepts the duel and receives the support of God, who guides the stone to Goliath's forehead. David thus becomes the second king of Israel. Michelangelo chose to depict him alone before his fight. Looking up, he holds the slingshot in his left hand.

Without the genius of a 30-year-old Michelangelo, this statue would never have existed. In fact, several artists had tried in vain to carve this block of Carrara marble, which was too narrow and riddled with cracks. Michelangelo took advantage of the marble's flaws, hollowing out the gap to reveal the space between the right arm and the torso. Note also the work on the hair, the musculature and the hand, where the veins are outcropping. The contrapposto (David leans on one leg while the other is slightly bent) gives the statue a slight movement. All the power and energy of the hero before the battle!

Did you also know that this work was destined to adorn a niche at the top of Florence Cathedral, next to statues of prophets? But its size (5.17 m high) makes it difficult to transport. And its nudity was ill-suited to a religious building. So it was decided to install it in the Piazza della Signoria, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. With the departure of the powerful Medici, David became the symbol of the young Republic.

Above all, this work probably holds the record for censorship! As soon as it was exhibited during the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci requested that the statue's attributes be covered with a loincloth. More likely, it was a garland of 28 vine leaves commissioned from a goldsmith that modestly concealed David's nudity.

In 1857, the Grand Duke of Tuscany presented a plaster replica of David to Queen Victoria, who was shocked and asked that the sex she couldn't see be hidden. A plaster fig leaf was made. Removable, it now hangs alongside the statue in London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

In 1993, the city of Jerusalem, celebrating the 3000th anniversary of its foundation, refused a replica of the David offered by the city of Florence.

In 2013, in Japan, a pair of underpants was to be put on David! David in briefs among the sakuras?

In 2020, at the Dubai World Expo, the statue is surrounded by a two-storey structure. The majority of the public only have access to the top floor, which shows only the hero's head and torso. The view from below is reserved for a privileged few.

Finally, in 2023, a Florida school principal was forced to resign for showing 11-year-old pupils this work, which some parents deemed "pornographic".