Is David Dirty Again?

FLORENCE, Italy – After a long and controversial restoration, the world’s most-famous piece of marble faces another hazard … the hordes of the great unwashed wanting to see it.
Michelangelo’s David, the 500-year-old masterpiece that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the Galleria dell’Acccademia in this central Italian city, is suffering from a bit of too much love – or, specifically, the grime that the crowd leaves behind.
The cleaning of the 16’-tall statue drew its share of criticism, as debates rose over removing the dirt of centuries, a hot-wax treatment in 1815 and residues of a nasty acid wash 162 years ago. A dispute over a dry or wet method of cleaning led to the resignation of one prominent restorer, but the effort finally culminated last year in a sparkling new look for the classic nude.
Now, according to Reuters News Service, museum officials are seeing the dirt on the statue return, thanks to tourists. The visitors bring dust and grime in from the city outside, as well as humidity when it rains.
It turns out that the gallery’s circulation is in the direction of the statue, carrying the grime to David. One possible solution is to create a breeze from the back; another may require tourists to literally brush up before entering the museum.
Museum officials will keep tabs on the grime during the next two years before making a decision, Reuters reported.