Il Gigante: Michelangelo, Florence and the David, 1492-1504 - Tapa dura

As an introduction to the Italian Renaissance IL GIGANTE could hardly be bettered - Jonathan Patrick, Scotland on Sunday There is certainly nothing rushed about this excellent account of the world's greatest sculptor... Through Gill's sensitive and accessible reading of the David in particular we can perhaps feel a little closer to the man [Michelangelo]... It would be well-deserved if this book is as successful as those by [Dava] Sobel and [Ross] King - Gill is a perceptive and accessible critic - Lesley McDowell, Sunday Herald A few pages into Anton Gill's new book and any readers who have ever seen a Renaissance painting or sculpture will be packing their bags and heading for Italy. Not a page goes by without the excitement and drama of this period catching at your imagination... a compelling story that is well told - Alistair McAlpine, Country Living There is much of value in this short book... richness of information and interest... and handsomeness of the tribute it pays to a fascinating time, a deserving city, and a truly great artist - A C Grayling Gill's project may be ambitious, but his style and approach are aimed firmly at the general reader. In this he succeeds admirably and as an introduction to the Italian Renaissance IL GIGANTE could hardly be bettered - Daily Mail

This text tells the interwoven stories of the twelve critical years Florenced experienced at the turn of the 15th century, and of the great statue that grew out of the turmoil of those years, and came to be the symbol of the city forever more. "David" was Michelangelo's only colossus; but anyone who was anyone in the Renaissance lived between about 1450 and 1550; and most of them were Florentines; and most were in Florence in 1500 when the sculptor set to work.