The tale of the fig leaf is part of the long history of censorship in art. It can be traced back to the Renaissance use of fig leaves to cover nude statues and frescoes. The first mentions of a fig leaf to cover nudity is in conjunction with the book of Genesis (3:7) with the Hebrew words עֲלֵ֣ה תְאֵנָ֔ה. Within western medieval art, nudity still played a role, albeit to a lesser extent than it had in antiquity. Around 1857, there was a fig leaf created for a plaster cast of Michelangelo’s “David” given to the Queen by the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Source: Forbes October 27, 2017 12:45 UTC