San Marino · 550th anniversary of the death of Donatello

Donatello’s full name was Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi. He was born in Florence around 1386 and is considered one of the formative sculptors of the Early Renaissance. He worked in Florence, Siena and Padua, among other places, and used various materials such as marble, bronze, wood and terracotta. His figures combine an engagement with the art of antiquity with a representation of posture, movement and individual facial features that was new for his time. His best-known works include Saint George, the equestrian statue of the mercenary commander Gattamelata in Padua and the wooden Mary Magdalene.

The bronze “David” was probably created in the first half of the 15th century. The precise circumstances of the commission have not been clearly recorded; however, the statue is associated with the Florentine Medici family and was later located in the courtyard of their city palace. It is considered one of the earliest freestanding life-size nude figures created in Europe since antiquity.

The figure depicted is the Biblical David immediately after his victory over Goliath. The youthful victor wears a hat and boots, holds his opponent’s sword and stands on his severed head. The unusual combination of an unclothed, almost fragile-looking figure and military triumph distinguishes the work from many earlier depictions. In Florence, David could also be understood politically: as a symbol of a smaller polity asserting itself against more powerful opponents.

Despite its state independence, San Marino belongs to the Italian linguistic and cultural sphere. The commemoration of a Florentine Renaissance artist therefore fits into the cultural themes that the microstate regularly takes up for its coin issues. The anniversary of his death provided a clearly defined calendar occasion, while the “David”, as a readily recognisable work, represents Donatello’s contribution to Renaissance sculpture.