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The David by Donatello

The statue of David, the most famous Donatello's work (1386-1466), is a milestone in the Reinassence art.

The statue was carved in 1409 for the Opera del Duomo di Firenze (Opera of Florentine Cathedral).

The marble David is a young warrior, proud of showing the trofy that is Golia's head, in opposition to the tradition that wanted David portrayed as an old and bearded man.

The marble-made David presents an almost inexpressive face, with an amaranthine crown that is a profane symbol used on a biblical patriarch, and his stretched limb that are characteristic Late Gothic features.

Copyright © Editori dell'Acero Il Battistero di San Giovanni e la Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

The pose of David, with the foothold on one only leg, the opposite twisting of his bust and his hands posed in a realistic way, show a careful study from reality of human anatomy.

In Florentine imagination, probably, that statue represented a symbol that embodied the ideals of the Florentine Republic.

The statue of David, today preserved at Bargello Museum in Florence, represents the return of sculpture, after a lucky medieval period of architecture of buildings.