A meticulous replica of the statue of David by Michelangelo, created in Florence using laser scans and 3D printing, will enrich the Dubai Expo 2021 in October. The resin twin brother of Michelangelo’s David,17ft (514 cm) high as the original, was commissioned by the Italian government and will represent Italy at the Expo to be held in the city of the Emirates.
The “digital twin” was created thanks to a sophisticated digitalization followed by a 3D printing in 14 pieces made of acrylic resin and then finished with marble powder, to make it as similar as possible to the original, it was assembled in Florence and then flew to Dubai. It weighs 882 pounds (400 kilos) plus 330 pounds (150kilos) for its base, compared to over 5 tons of the original one, and the lengthy process began in December and finished on mid April 2021.
It is the first copy of David in an Arab country and it was unveiled on April 27th 2021 at the heart of the Italian pavilion (designed by Carlo Ratti and Italo Rota) in Dubai for the Expo which is about to open its doors on October 2021, after being postponed by one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The extraordinary copy is perfect down to the tiniest chisel mark and stain and it’s a much more accurate reproduction than those made in the past, including the casts, but it will obviously never be like the real one in Florence. “David was the first colossal statue completed after antiquity and represents independence, beauty and strength — what better choice to represent Italy, but also the rebirth of the world after Covid?” said Cecilie Hollberg, the director of Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia where the original is kept.
Michelangelo’s David, one of the world’s most famous marble sculptures, has copies all around the world. Even the one that stands in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria, excactly of the same size of the original one, is a marble copy sculpted by Luigi Arrighetti in 1910. Ironic to think that most of those who take pictures every day under the copy in Piazza della Signoria ignore it is actually a copy and thy miss to experience the original one done by Michelangelo and preserved in the Accademia. When visiting Italy let an official guide help you to learn and experience a place like it really should be and ensuring you won't miss anything important.
