The sculptures Michelangelo is most known for are the Pieta and David.[1] Michelangelo’s fame as a sculptor began when, in 1497, Cardinal Jean de Bilhères-Lagraulas commissioned him to make a pieta, a statue of Mary holding Jesus body. [2] After completing the Pieta people were amazed by how well he was able to sculpt the physique of the human body. [1] Michelangelo’s fame spread throughout Italy and when he returned to Florence, in 1499, was asked to complete a giant statue of David, started by a previous artist forty years earlier. The David is 17 feet tall and weighs 12,478 pounds and was completed in 1504. The David was meant to stand on roof of the Florence cathedral, but was too tall and heavy to get on the roof, and instead was placed in front of the Palazzo della Signoria.[4] Having spent many hours dissecting bodies of men and women, Michelangelo was able to precisely replicate the human anatomy in his sculptures, making them look realistic and