Diagnostic analysis of the lesions and stability of Michelangelo's David

This work presents an account of the results of diagnostic analyses on the lesions that were first detected in Michelangelo's David in the mid-1800s. After summarizing the events that may have affected the statue's stability and the state of deformation, the authors present the results of the Finite Elements Method (FEM) tests conducted on the digital model of the statue's surface. The analysis of these results made it possible to identify the static conditions that generated the cracks in the lower part of the left leg and in the tree trunk of the David. Lastly, the current situation was analyzed from the perspective of both deformation and stresses, evaluating the statue's stability also as regards its structural response to the seismic activity at the level expected for the Florence area.