8 Famous Donatello Sculptures and Where to See Them

Renaissance humanism profoundly changed the way artists saw the world and represented it. With the revival of ancient philosophy and renowned interest in art from antiquity, new forms based on classical models emerged and took over the Gothic style.

Considered the most important sculptor of the early Renaissance, Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi or Donatello introduced a new style based on naturalism and is regarded as a forefather of the Italian Renaissance. His sculptures responded to the cultural turn from the strictly religious realm towards explorations of human’s place in the world.

Working primarily in Florence, Donatello is remembered for his works in marble and bronze, setting him as the leading artist of his time and beyond. Some of his works inspired other artists, such as Michelangelo, who created his world-renowned marble David based on Donatello’s St. George and the Dragon held today at the Bargello Museum. 

The list below charts some of the most famous Donatello sculptures, including where they could be seen today. 

Saint John the Evangelist, 1409-1411

One of Donatello’s earlier works, Saint John the Evangelist, presents some distortions that were due to the place the statue was intended for. The work was initially planned for a niche of the Duomo in Florence, situated high above the eye level. In order to adjust his sculpture to this perspective, Donatello shortened the statue’s legs and elongated its torso.

The sculpture belongs to a group of works by Donatello that signalled a shift away from the artistic climate of Gothic Mannerism. In contrast to the previous representations of the saint as a young man prior to Renaissance, Donatello chose a figure of a wise prophet with a long beard and flowing robes with one hand placed on a book of scripture. 

Donatello’s sculpture can be seen at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Florence, Italy.

Saint Mark, 1411–1413

Another of Donatello’s sculptures designed to be an exterior decoration that still can be seen in its original location is Saint Mark. The statue was commissioned by the linen waiver’s guild of Florence as part of a three-piece composition for stone niches carved by Perfetto di Giovanni and Albizzo di Pietro in Orsanmichele church. 

The figure chiselled in marble is shown standing in contrapposto with one leg slightly bent, a classical posture of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures. As Renaissance revived classical knowledge, it also turned to old classical forms in art.

Donatello’s artwork Saint Mark is displayed in an exterior niche of the Orsanmichele church in Florence, Italy. 

Bust of Niccolo da Uzzano, 1432

This polychrome terracotta bust by Donatello, a nod to classical antiquity, represents Niccolo da Uzzano, the Gonfaloniere of Justice in Florence. Niccolo died in 1431, and the piece is probably commissioned in his honour, a widespread practice for important public figures in the Italian Renaissance. 

However, this Donatello’s art piece is also part of a debate relating to its attribution. There are assumptions that the work is actually done by either Peiro Torrigiani or Desiderio da Settignano and not Donatello himself. The sculpture is among a few surviving early Renaissance works with their original polychromy preserved. 

Bust of Niccolo da Uzzano is part of the permanent collection of the Palazzo del Bargello in Florence. 

David, 1440s

There are two statues depicting David that Donatello made, although only the second one showcases his characteristic naturalism. Donatello created the first David in his early twenties, in 1408, and the second decades later, in the 1440s. The later David was commissioned by the Medici family while Donatello worked on the decoration of the family’s church, San Lorenzo.

The sculpture showing David after defeating Goliath is the first freestanding bronze sculpture from the Renaissance and the first showing a naked man since antiquity. In contrast to the statue of David by Michelangelo, who is depicted as a muscular, domineering figure, Donatello’s version has a lithe body and a more delicate form. The figure, wearing boots and a hat and holding a large sword, is perched over Goliath’s head. 

David is housed in the Palazzo del Bargello in Florence. 

The Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata, 1453

One of the rare Donatello sculptures still in the place where it was initially installed, The Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata, shows Erasmo da Narni, General Commander of all the armies in the Republic of Venice. The sculpture was commissioned by the Republic of Venice to commemorate Erasmo, the successful military leader known as Gattamelata. 

The sculpture is among the earliest of its kind in the Renaissance that Donatello created while working in Padua. The military leader is shown as a confident and resolute strategist, with his horse perched over the orb, symbolizing the world. 

The sculpture is located in the Piazza del Santo in Padua. 

Penitent Magdalene, 1453–1455

While other Donatello sculptures adhere to classical forms of beauty, Penitent Magdalene deviates from this standard. Instead of a young woman, as she was usually presented, Donatello here opts to show the sinner as a haggard woman in older age, dressed in tattered clothes and clasping her hands in supplication. 

It is assumed that Donatello’s personal experience of illness while in Padua and confrontation with his mortality inspired this profoundly personal and evocative presentation, done in poplar wood. 

Penitent Magdalene can be seen at Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Florence.

St John the Baptist, 1457

Although differing in materials, St John the Baptist and Penitent Magdalene can be seen as a pair of sculptures due to their stylistic similarity. Like Magdalen, St John is also presented as an emaciated figure in sheepskin clothes and a narrow, wrinkled face. Created a few years after Magdalene, it shows a turn in Donatello’s later style. 

The sculpture was cast in three sections, but initially, Donatello sent the statue without the left arm as he was dissatisfied with his payments’ low level or lateness. It is unknown whether the arm was added later by Donatello or created from his designs. 

St John the Baptist is located in the Duomo in Siena.  

Judith and Holofernes, 1457–1464

Another sculpture commissioned by the Medici family, Judith and Holofernes, is among a few pieces Donatello created after returning to Florence from Padua near the end of his life. Like David, the sculpture presents a character slaying a tyrant, a metaphor for the Medici rule in Florence. The Medici perceived themselves as defenders of freedom, confirmed by an inscription on the pedestal dedicating the statue to liberty and fortitude.

The sculpture is housed in the Palazzo Vecchio, while its bronze cast can be seen on the Piazza della Signoria in Florence.