1420, English, Art work edition: David; David Donatello, c. 1386-1466

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David; David
 
Bookmark: http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/239797
Physical Description
  • Cross-Platform, 70.013 KB
  • Slide
Published
  • Harcourt and Brace
  • late 1420s-late 1450s AD
  • 1420s-1450s A.D.
Language
  • English

Edition details

Title
  • David; David
Creator
  • Donatello, c. 1386-1466
Other Creators
  • Brigham Young University
Published
  • Harcourt and Brace
  • late 1420s-late 1450s AD
  • 1420s-1450s A.D.
Physical Description
  • Cross-Platform, 70.013 KB
  • Slide
Subjects
Notes
  • Donatello’s bronze David is famous for being the earliest-known freestanding (sculpted in the round and not attached to architecture) nude since antiquity. Although the ancient Greeks often sculpted nudes, during medieval times nude figures were rare and usually referred to the fall of Adam and Eve and sin. In this sculpture of David, Donatello revived ancient associations with the nude as a positive heroic icon. This idea was so novel in the early renaissance that for many years this sculpture was the only work of its kind. Donatello’s David further evoked classical associations through its contrapposto stance and sensuous, youthful beauty, reminiscent of a Greek god, although this David has the soft muscles of an adolescent. This combination of Christian subject matter with classical forms was a hallmark of the Italian Renaissance. The classical pose and format would have appealed to Florentine humanists, such as the Medici family who commissioned this sculpture for the courtyard of their palazzo. The Medici only commissioned the most esteemed artists of the day, and Donatello was considered one of the premier sculptors of Florence, rivaling his master teacher, Ghiberti, by the 1420s. The subject matter of David slaying Goliath would have been significant for fifteenth-century Florentines. Several years earlier Donatello had created a marble David to celebrate Florence’s defeat of the invasion of King Ladislaus, making David a symbol of Florentine strength and independence. Florence saw itself, like David, to be the weaker entity, but favored by the Lord. The laurel crown on David’s helmet and wreath upon which he stands are likely allusions to the Medici family, while the helmet on Goliath’s severed head upon which David confidently rests his foot resembles armor worn by the army of the dukes of Milan, who were threatening Florence at the time. The Medici family showed themselves as the protectors of Florence’s freedom and prosperity by commissioning this sculpture and placing it in a public area of their home. The ""David"" statue, the first freestanding statue since Roman antiquity, marks the third stage of David's conquest as the figure stands in graceful repose after his victory. Donatello's ""David"" illustrated Renaissance grace rather than baroque action as in Bernini's ""David."" Donatello's also displays a more pagan aura than biblical in the nude, almost Bacchic figure.
  • height: 5' 2 1/​4""
  • civ metadata; 98300535.jpg
Source
  • Cunningham and Reich, Culture and Values, vol. 4; Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya, Gardner's Art Through the Ages, 12th ed., vol 2 (Belmont, CA: Thomson/​Wadsworth, 2005), 593; H. W. Janson and Anthony F. Janson, A Basic History of Western Art, 7th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2006), 254; Frederick Hartt and David G. Wilkins, History of Italian Renaissance Art, 5th ed. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2003), 284-285.
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Language
  • English
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