The restoration history of David has also left its marks. In 1810 the statue was covered in wax for protection; in 1843 this wax along with Michelangelo's original patina was disastrously removed with hydrochloric acid. A wiser form of conservation took place in 1873, when the statue was brought indoors to the Accademia. But in 1991 an unbalanced Italian artist smashed a toe on its left foot with a hammer, and this too had to be restored.
Paolluci and his team say that what Accademia documents describe as restoration involves only conservation, although the work done here seems to lie somewhere between the two. In some areas the once dull marble has recovered its shine, with the front of the figure's torso again catching light and shadow. Some vertical stains, perhaps remnants of streams of rainwater, have also been removed.
`David' lives
Scientists also have carried out detailed studies of the environment in which David now lives. They concluded, for instance, that both the temperature and gaseous pollutants monitored around the statue were at acceptable levels. But they also noted that larger dust particles introduced by some 2 million visitors per year quickly soiled the marble "and threaten to cancel out the results obtained with the newly completed cleaning."
Parnigoni said that to prevent a dust buildup she planned to clean the statue with a hand-held vacuum cleaner every six weeks. Temperatures around David will continue to be monitored, and ultraviolet and other photographic techniques will be used to identify the accumulation of gypsum and other harmful substances on the marble surface. Perhaps most alarming, however, is the fresh recognition by Florentine experts that David would not be safe in case of a major earthquake. In documents provided to the press today, the experts are quoted as saying, "Given the importance of the work, we consider it necessary to take even this extreme hypothesis into consideration." Since Florence lies in an earthquake zone, the hypothesis is not extreme.
The principal message accompanying the unveiling, however, was that all was well with David. "I wonder if people can see the difference?" asked Willem Dreesmann, president of a Dutch foundation, Ars Longa Stichting, which financed the studies and restoration along with the American-based Friends of Florence.
"All kinds of stains have been removed," he said, "but you can only see this at close quarters."
Paolucci was more eager to minimize what has been done here. "A restoration that doesn't look like a restoration is always the best kind," he said. "David is the same as ever. For journalists this is a letdown because there is no controversy."
Beck, though, was not about to give up. "They just sort of tidied it up," he said, "and created a spectacle to get more visitors and sell more products."
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