From Marble to Flesh. The biography of Michelangelo's David

The story of Michelangelo's David begins long before Michelangelo ever set chisel to stone. The gigantic block of Carrara marble that was to become the David was quarried more than half a century before anyone saw the statue set up in Florence's piazza della Signoria. And in between, there's a litany of contracts, artists and projects in different media while the patrons, the Operai del Duomo, searched for perfection, and finally got it from Michelangelo.
The life of David takes unexpected turns in later centuries. It has been seriously damaged several times both intentionally and by accident. Controversies and scandals erupted in the 19th century as the statue was almost destroyed by cleaning with acid and then moved for safeguarding to the Accademia Gallery. In the 20th and 21st centuries he's become an artistic and popular icon as well as a symbol of Italy.
The story of David is rich in conflict, tension, controversy and cultural meaning. Author Victor Coonin tells this story not as ancient history but as a centuries-long biography right up to the present day. What started as a monumental block of Carrara marble took on new vigour in Michelangelo's gifted hands. The statue is both life-like and larger than life: an embodiment of human accomplishment, of perfection, magnificence and beauty. The David has a life of his own, and this life succeeds in telling us something about ourselves.