To preserve its shine, restorers take great care with Michelangelo's David

Dust nestles in the slightest vein of marble and Michelangelo's David, jewel of the Renaissance, must regularly, like Monday, be dusted in its Florentine case.

Every two months, the David completed by Michelangelo, then aged 29, in 1504, willingly lends itself to meticulous care in the Gallery of the Accademia in Florence, the capital of Tuscany, where it sits for over 150 years. Sometimes considered to represent the perfect man, the more than four meter high sculpture of the Goliath killer is made from a single block of marble.

His personal conservator, Eleonora Pucci, climbs onto a scaffolding to observe it up close, a ritual necessary for the conservation of this white giant admired by more than two million visitors last year. “A statue that is not regularly dusted, if you look at it from the bottom up, you will see a form of plush,” museum director Cecilie Hollberg explained to a group of journalists on Monday. “It’s not pretty and it’s not worthy of the artwork we preserve in this museum.” David's cleaning is therefore “a form of respect, a form of dignity that we want to give to each work of art,” explains Cecilie Hollberg.

With a furrow in his forehead, a bulging vein on his neck, his weight on his right foot and his sling in his left hand, David remains focused on Goliath, oblivious to what is happening around him. Eleonora Pucci, a small woman in a white coat, white helmet, jeans and sneakers, climbs to the top of the scaffolding where she begins taking photos to monitor David's "state of health."

After strapping a portable vacuum cleaner to his back, the dusting begins. With careful sweeping motions, Eleonora Pucci slides a soft synthetic brush over David's bent left arm. Next comes her left thigh, where her delicate brush follows the muscles sculpted by Michelangelo, before the scaffolding is moved and she is once again at work on David's back. “It is a very delicate work, which requires a lot of concentration and careful inspection, centimeter by centimeter, in order to control the state of conservation of the work, which is also in very good condition,” according to Cecilie Hollberg .

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Dust deposits can compromise the shine of marble, making it grayer and duller. Smooth areas are easier to clean than rougher areas, but filters in the museum's highly sophisticated air conditioning system have significantly reduced various particles in the air, while sensors help monitor temperature and humidity levels. humidity, assures the manager.

The first colossus since ancient times and the symbol of Florence, Michelangelo's David was unveiled at the dawn of the 16th century to a delighted audience in the city's Renaissance main square, the Piazza della Signoria. It remained there until 1873, when it was moved to its current location, with the museum literally built around it.