Italy: Michelangelo's David at risk from weak ankles

Italy: Michelangelo's David at risk from weak ankles

Michelangelo's statue of David risks collapsing under its
own weight because of strain on the sculpture's "weak ankles", it's been reported.

statue of David 大衛雕像
risk Ving 冒...的風險
strain 張力,負擔,沉重壓力

The 5.5 tonne sculpture is showing signs of micro-fractures in its legs and researchers in the Italian city of Florence warn
it could collapse under its own weight, Italian newspaper La
Repubblica says. The carved tree stump behind David's right leg, which bears most of its weight, may also have cracks, recent findings from the National Research Council show. They have been covered up with plaster over the years, but have a tendency to reappear.

tonne n.公噸〔等於1000公斤〕
micro-fracture n.微小裂痕
carved adj.雕刻的
crack n.裂痕
plaster n.【建】灰泥,灰漿
have a tendency to V 有...的傾向

Weak spots were also discovered in the original statue's ankles, after a series of centrifuge tests on plaster replicas. Researchers suspect these developed while David was on display for more than three centuries in the city's main square, leaning forward at a dangerous angle.

centrifuge n.離心機
centrifuge test 離心測試
replica n.複製品

The 5m (17ft) statue was already fragile because of the poor-quality marble Michelangelo chose for his masterpiece, as well as its great weight and off-centre pose, La Gazetta del Sud reports. It's been suggested an earthquake, or even road construction, could cause it to topple, and that David should be moved either to a quake-proof room, or to a new site outside the city.

fragile adj.易碎的,脆弱的
marble n.大理石
off-centre adj.不在正中央的,偏離中心的
road construction 道路施工
topple v.倒塌
quake-proof adj.防震的