Michelangelo’s David — in context

In the early 1440s — just over thirty years before Michelangelo was born — a Florentine Artist named Donatello created an iconic sculpture of the Biblical figure of David.

Donatello was one of the great masters of his day — and, in fact, remains a famous name to us even now, being among the greatest sculptors to have ever lived.

But this new bronze of his, in particular, really took the artist’s fame to a whole new level. Not just for it’s striking beauty — but, also, as the first free standing nude since ancient times.

And, incidentally, this was not the first time Donatello had portrayed David (a figure seen as something of the patron of Florence at that time).

A few years earlier, he had also carved a figure in marble — which is equally impressive. But here, what really captivated the people of Florence at the time, was the sense of poetry Donatello had captured. This young Shephard boy — having just triumphed over the giant Goliath — portrayed in a way that seems to balances the effortless beauty of youth, with the triumphant pose of a hero.

We can imagine viewers from far and wide, in sheer wonderment over such an achievement. Believing that Donatello had reached such a pinnacle with his work . . . and portrayed the figure of David in such a sublime manner . . . that no-one would…