Accademia Museum

Friday we went to the Accademia, the museum that is known for housing Michelangelo's David, arguably one of the greatest sculptures in existence. It also has an extensive collection of Florentine art from the 13th to 15th centuries. (Michelangelo worked primarily in the first half of the 16th century.)

The entrance to the museum is a corridor that is lined with other Michelangelo works. Several statues are called the Prisoners, as they are not complete, and look as if the person is trying to escape from the marble.

Known as "The Bearded Slave"

This Pieta statue was done much later than the well-known one in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

And, of course, David. The statue is about 17 feet tall and stands under a dome at the end of the entrance corridor. It is truly breath-taking.

Here is a view of the head and upper torso. The left hand holds the slingshot; the right has a stone.

There are many paintings, some of which I will post tomorrow. This Tree of Life is from the Convent of Monticelli and is dated about 1310-1315. Christ is shown crucified on a tree whose branches show scenes from his life. At the bottom are small painted scenes from Genesis.