Michaelangelo's "David" to get quake-proof pedestal
Digital Reporter
Saturday, December 27, 2014, 12:26 PM - Michaelangelo's David still doesn't have any pants, but at least he'll be safer from earthquakes.
The iconic Renaissance sculpture already had the Italian government worried after it was discovered that weaknesses in the ankles could cause it to collapse under its own weight (According to Discovery).
Then a series of small quakes shook Tuscany and Florence, the statue's home, earlier this month. None were much stronger than Magnitude 4.0 according to Discovery, but they rattled citizens and kick-started efforts to secure the statue against future tremors.
Last week, the Italian government announced funding for a special, earthquake-resistant pedestal.
“The earthquake in Florence fortunately did not damage the government’s cultural assets,” Dario Franceschini, Italy's culture minister, told the Telegraph. “But it has made the need to approve this project even more urgent. A masterpiece like David must not be left to any risk.”
David's new perch is expected to cost around $250,000, and the government hopes to have it ready by the end of 2015.
Earthquakes are a real concern in Italy. The most recent large tremor, in the town of L'Aquila in 2009, killed more than 300 people.
The David, which was sculpted in the early 1500s by Michaelangelo, has actually survived several quakes since then, including one which damaged several buildings in the nearby Chianti region in 1895.
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