Picture 5: Michelangelo’s signature
It is also the only sculpture that bears his signature, as he carved the
words: MICHEL ANGELUS BONAROTUS FLORENT FACIBAT (Michelangelo of
Buonarotti from Florence made it) on the bottom part of Mary’s dress.
Michelangelo stays in Rome for approximately five years and after that he
returns to Florence, where a sense of confusion lurks over the city following the
events of Savonarola’s, rival of the Medici, conviction. The reputation he has
gained in Rome helps him pick up plenty of tasks, such as the sculpting of
David for Florence’s cathedral. Michelangelo completes the task in 1504 and
gains more fame. David also signifies the new Florentine democracy, and is
thus placed in Plazza della Signoria.
Picture 6: David (1501-1504)
23