Jesse Waugh

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Goliath Phallus: Is Michelangelo's David Holding Goliath's Severed Phallus?

Michelangelo's David
1501-1504
Galleria dell'accademia
Marble
Florence

Although the item in David's hand is ostensibly a sling, it is pretty obvious that Michelangelo intended to convey the idea of a power transfer between the slain and the victorious by depicting the successful biblical warrior-king David holding Goliath's severed phallus over his left shoulder.

I noticed this a few years ago, so I went to the Galleria dell'accademia in Florence, Italy today to take another look at the statue. The following black-and-white pictures are snapshots of image details from a book on David - Michelangelo's masterpiece - which book was on sale in the museum gift shop.