First the refrigerator magnet, now this kitsch: a house about a mile away from the new one my wife and I are buying. I know what you’re thinking, some Photoshop trick. If only…! It’s the eyesore of the neighborhood, for certain.
And while on the subject of David—the real one sculpted between 1500 and 1505—anyone ever stop to wonder why old Michelangelo’s version wasn’t circumcised?
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This house has been seen on the E! show “High Maintenance 90210″. The owner’s name is [removed for security reasons] and he stated on the show that he is a music producer. From what I’ve seen on the show, he is quite eccentric. The inside and backyard are even weirder than the front yard!
posted by Sara on 3-26-2007 at 7:13 am
Wow, Sara, that’s fantastic! I’m happy to have the skinny on a future neighbor, as well to know that our readers also watch E! *wink*
And just for the record, this house isn’t in 90210…. not even close.
posted by David on 3-26-2007 at 7:32 am
As for your concern about the real “David’s” genitals, it does raise an interesting question. David was Hebrew, so he should have been circumcised. But the Italian culture of the time (16th C.) would probably have been that males were uncircumcised. So Michaelangelo was just following the cultural norm. And, yes, I have wondered about it. (It is likely Michaelangelo didn’t know what an uncircumcised penis looked like.)
posted by WizardBoy on 3-26-2007 at 7:43 am
It could be a lot worse. It could be 50 statues of fat Elvis.
posted by al on 3-26-2007 at 9:23 am
Actually circumcision is even today uncommon in Europe. But, if the statue is the biblical David, than he should be cirumcised.
posted by Jay on 3-26-2007 at 9:27 am
I believe Joseph Heller addresses the subject of David’s genitals in his bitingly sarcastic novel “God Knows”, which is written from David’s point of view.
posted by Bill T. on 3-26-2007 at 9:36 am
Michaelangelo’s statue of David depicts when David was facing Goliath. I seem to recall that David’s circumcision actually happened after he became king. I read a novel, “Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen” by Indi Edghill which linked David’s battle victories with circumcision. It’s been a few years since I read this, so sorry for the fuzzy details.
posted by Charlotte on 3-26-2007 at 9:59 am
I used to live near Wadsorth, Illinois in which a resident constructed his home as a giant golden pyramid with a statue of Ramses and would charge people to visit the interior. That was a strange one. So I feel your pain on neighborhood kitsch homes. :) Below is a link to someone who took pictures:
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php?tip_AttractionNo==5952
posted by AD on 3-26-2007 at 10:03 am
I’ve seen that place. Years ago when we were visiting LA to see relatives durring Chrismas, my uncle took us for a drive to look at all the lights, and this was one of the houses he pointed out to us. I believe that every single on of those Davids was wearing a Santa hat! It is turly unusual.
posted by Xeno on 3-26-2007 at 11:07 am
David is of the tribe of Jesse. They are Hebrews and I think as covenant Jews would have been circumcised as children (on the 8th day, as Jesus was). Perhaps I am mistaken. I wouldn’t trust a second source, but will have to look in Samuel, where the story of David begins. Just curious now. Very curious.
posted by WizardBoy on 3-26-2007 at 1:09 pm
Wait till you see it at Christmas. It’s the best example of the classic Los Angeles plastic roof snow too.
posted by Monkey Girl on 3-26-2007 at 2:24 pm
I too have wondered about the presence of David’s foreskin; as a Jewish boy he certainly would’ve/should’ve been circumcised on the 8th day.
We have a full-size bronze casting of the original here in beautiful downtown Sioux Falls, SD, donated by one of the city bigwigs back in the 70′s. After seeing the herd of Davids in the photos above, I’m glad the generous donor wasn’t that fond of the statue.
True story; when the statue was first put on display, many were dismayed by David’s nakedness and threatened to put a loincloth on him. Modesty was taken into consideration when the stature was placed though; David faced away from the main thoroughfare to minimize his exposure. Within the last few years the park went through some changes, and Dave now faces the street. Guess we’re more comfortable by his nakedness now than in the 70′s.
posted by Dave on 3-26-2007 at 3:42 pm
AD – thank you thank you! I used to live in Illinois and used to see the statue as I was driving up to Kenosha. I always wondered what the deal was but none of my friends knew. Mystery solved!
posted by Jane on 3-26-2007 at 5:53 pm
OK, looks like I should Google first and comment later. From http://www.hobrad.com:
CIRCUMCISION: “Sign of the Covenant”
In Genesis (17:10-12,24), the cutting off of the prepuce or foreskin of the penis is first ordered by the Hebrew God Yahweh to symbolize the covenant made between Yahweh and his people. “Every male among you shall be circumcised,” God tells the Hebrew patriarch Abraham, “and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and you.” Abraham dutifully goes first, being circumcised at the age of ninety-nine.
What I was thinking of from the book was the sons of Jacob’s forced circumcision of their enemies. How the image of thousands of men being forcibly circumcized wasn’t burned into my brain, I’ll never know!!!!
posted by Charlotte on 3-26-2007 at 10:11 pm
it kind of makes you wonder what they pass out on Halloween.
posted by heather on 3-27-2007 at 12:01 am
Yeah, David should have been circumcised but this is an artist’s vision and Michaelangelo was not Hebrew – he was Roman Catholic. He felt his sculptures and inspirations were God-given so if God told him to do it this way, who are we to reason why ….? Does it bother anyone else that some of you are looking so closely? Also, according to historical data and Irving Stone’s The Agony and The Ecstasy, Michaelangelo’s only method of studying anatomy then to portray it correctly was by illegally dissecting cadavers, so maybe he did know what a circumcised one looked like?
posted by Connie on 3-28-2007 at 7:01 am
Michelangelo was a good observer of detail. His “David” is physiologically correct, if not historically so. Hold one of your own hands at shoulder height with the other hanging below your waist and then observe that the veins in the upper hand recede from view as blood follows gravity out of it. The veins in the hand hanging down will be distended with blood. “David’s” hands are sculpted to reflect these facts of physiology.
posted by Michael on 3-28-2007 at 11:33 am
One detail you might have missed: In the center of the line of Davids there is one, undersized, VENUS DE MILO. VERY Revealing, if you ask me. We used to joke that he put a statue out for every person he slept with and the size represented how good it was. I work about a mile from there, and pass it often. Every year it has a New Years display: the year in 4 foot high white letters in the little curved area in front of the Davids. Big Blocky white letters all lit up. I for one appreciate how unique it is and admire the spirit of someone like this homeowner.
posted by Mark on 3-28-2007 at 4:44 pm
PS. There is an All Black house 1/2 mile away on Detroit Street Off LaBrea. It’s completely covered in black lava-stone and they say it’s all black inside. The inhabitant wears all black with big slashes of black eyeliner.
posted by Mark on 3-28-2007 at 4:47 pm
2 things.
I know the gentleman who owns the “David House” and he is in fact a music producer and an extremely talented singer himself. That house is in Larchmont in LA and has been the source of a lot of press for many years and it accurately reflects the flamboyance of its owner.
2ndly @ ^^Mark, that black house on Detroit is said to be owned by the Unicorn Lady, another LA legendary personality. If you have ever seen her you know what I mean. I have interviewed her many years a go and her hair is shaped like a tall cone and she believes it acts as an antenna helping her reception to alien signals.
posted by dentalchicken on 12-24-2007 at 9:05 am
Most renaissance statuary (if they still have them) do not have circumcised penii because the models wouldn’t have had them and thats what they worked from.
Having seen David, I’m more impressed with how nice his ass is. No guy I know has an ass like that.
posted by Hannah on 12-24-2007 at 9:33 am
Can we focus on the lovely faded two-tone SUV in the driveway for a second? This guy’s a few cans short of a six pack…
posted by Sarah on 5-4-2009 at 8:20 am