The image of Michelangelo’s David statue (Il Davide di Michelangelo)—one of the world’s best-known works of art—is so ubiquitous in Florence that it's become a symbol of Italy’s Renaissance capital. Carved between 1501 and 1504, then installed at the custom-built Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell’Accademia) in 1873, the masterpiece symbolizes strength and human beauty.