Michelangelo was originally commissioned to make the sculpture, hewn from one solid piece of marble, for the Cathedral, but when the city of Florence, who identified themselves with David because they overcame the great giant city-states of Italy and into their own as a city of art, culture and finance, saw how perfect the sculpture was, they moved it to the public square which was the seat of the city's government. The sculpture was positioned to be viewed from below (it was going to be high up on the cathedral). Another interesting element that never gets discussed is the rock upon which David stands. It does resemble the stylized rocks commonly seen in illuminated manuscripts, but Jesus compared Himself to the "cornerstone" that was rejected, and David himself would be rejected by Saul numerous times; further, even though David stands on rock, the "stump" (detailed below) grows from that rock, just as Jesus said "I am the Vine and you are the Branches," because the rock upon which David stand is the "living stone" Jesus called His followers to be: solid as a rock in their beliefs, but ever-growing, and always being converted anew on a deeper level without ever growing weary.