Michelangelo's David could COLLAPSE: Experts warn statue's weak ankles may give way

The 500-year-old Michelangelo’s statue of David suffers from microscopic fractures in its ankles which, experts fear. could cause it to tumble and smash in the event of a major earthquake.

Now art historians in quake-prone Italy are pressing for urgent action to protect the treasure, which is widely regarded as one of the most exquisite representations of the human form ever created.

The solution is likely to include an ‘anti seismic’ layer being inserted under the existing plinth to absorb the destructive power of tectonic shifts. 

But despite their best efforts, the experts say the Italian government has been reluctant to provide the €200,000 (£170,000/$211,000) needed to keep David safe.
Last year's earthquake in central Italy has led to urgent calls to protect the country's most important works of art, including David.

In 2015, the Italian government agreed to give €200,000 (£170,000/$211,000) to the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, where David is kept, to build an antiseismic plith.
But the money is yet to appear.

The statue, which was built over 500 years ago, has microfractures in its ankles, caused by years of pressure supporting the 16 foot (five metre), five-tonne marble body.

Speaking to The Times, Alessandro Martelli, a geoscientist who has studied the statue, said: 'In the light of the earthquakes in central Italy and the fact we cannot rule out their extension towards the north, the problem of the seismic protection of Michelangelo's David has become extremely urgent.'