People today look at art forgers like de Hory and assume nefarious intent, but when Michelangelo was learning, a student copying a painting in exact detail was a necessary skill in order to demonstrate they could paint in the classic style. Most apprentice painters would have had to do it at some point.

The David statue was originally intended to stand on top of a section of Florence Cathedral, which is why it has distorted features when viewed on an even plane. I wrote a bit about it here -

https://darhtbjehl.medium.com/beyond-the-obvious-art-as-a-way-of-life-ede96e1496ad