Donatello Sculpture Gallery

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Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi, known as Donatello, was the foremost sculptor of early 15th-century Italy. He was a master of both marble and bronze, and also created extraordinary works in wood. This small selection of his works reveals his range and talent.

For more about Donatello, visit his profile in Who's Who in Medieval History and the Renaissance.

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This photograph is by Marie-Lan Nguyen, who has kindly released it into the public domain. It is free for your use.

This is one of the earliest works by Donatello, carved sometime around 1406 to 1409. Once in the left pinnacle of the tympanum of the Porta della Mandorla in Florence, it now resides in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.

Statue of Abraham by Donatello

This photograph is by Marie-Lan Nguyen, who has kindly released it into the public domain. It is free for your use.

This statue of biblical patriarch Abraham about to sacrifice his son Isaac was sculpted by Donatello from marble sometime between 1408 and 1416. It is in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.

Donatello's Statue of St. George

This photograph is by Marie-Lan Nguyen, who has kindly released it into the public domain. It is free for your use.

The original marble statue of St. George by Donatello was sculpted in 1416 and currently resides in the Museo del Bargello. This copy is in Orsanmichele, Florence.

Zuccone

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This marble sculpture of Habbakuk, also known as Zuccone, was carved by Donatello sometime between 1423 and 1435 and was placed in the bell tower of the Duomo of Florence.

Cantoria

This photograph is by Marie-Lan Nguyen, who has kindly released it into the public domain. It is free for your use.

The organ balcony, or "singers' gallery," was constructed to hold a small chorus. Donatello carved it from marble and incorporated colored glass, completing it in 1439. In 1688, it was deemed too small to accommodate all the singers to perform for the wedding of Ferdinando de' Medici, and it was dismantled and not reassembled until the 19th century. It currently resides in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.

Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata

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The statue of Gattamelata (Erasmo of Narni) on horseback was executed c. 1447-50. Inspired by the Statue of Marcus Aurelius in Rome, or perhaps by the Greek horses on top of the Venetian Church of St Mark's, the equestrian figure would become the prototype for many subsequent heroic monuments.

Statue of Mary Magdalen

This photograph is by Marie-Lan Nguyen, who has kindly released it into the public domain. It is free for your use.

Completed in 1455, Donatello's wooden carving of Mary Magdalen was probably on the south-western side of the Baptistry of Florence. It currently resides in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.

David in Bronze

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Sometime around 1430, Donatello was commissioned to create a bronze statue of David, although who his patron may have been is up for debate. The David is the first large-scale, free-standing nude statue of the Renaissance. It is currently in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence.