Donatello's bronze David from the 1440s-60s depicts the biblical hero as a frail boy, naked but for a hat and shoes. Though smaller than life size and holding an oversized sword, David has conquered Goliath through God's will rather than physical strength. Michelangelo's 1501-04 marble David stands nearly three times life size in a classic contrapposto pose, conveying that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary feats through decisive action. Originally intended for the cathedral, David's large hands, feet and head accentuate important details visible from below. Both works capture the moment before battle to symbolize virtue overcoming vice with God's help.

1. Donatello’s ‘David’ (1440s-60s)
The biblical text
The story of David and Goliath comes from
1 Samuel 17. The Israelites are fighting the
Philistines, whose best warrior - Goliath repeatedly offers to meet the Israelites'
best warrior in man-to-man combat to
decide the whole battle. None of the
trained Israelite soldiers is brave enough to
fight the giant Goliath, until David - a
shepherd boy who is too young to be a
soldier - accepts the challenge. Saul, the
Israelite leader, offers David armour and
weapons, but the boy is untrained and
refuses them. Instead, he goes out with his
slingshot, and confronts the enemy. He hits
Goliath in the head with a stone, knocking
the giant down, and then grabs Goliath's
sword and cuts off his head. The Philistines
honourably retired and the Israelites are
saved. David's special strength comes from
God, and the story illustrates the triumph
of good over evil.

2. Donatello’s ‘David’ (1440s-60s)
Analysis
• Likely to have been commissioned by
Duke of Florence, Piero de’ Medici
but precise date is unknown.
• Statue was placed in private
courtyard of the Medici Palace so not
intended for the public.
• Notable as the first unsupported
standing work in bronze cast (lost
wax method) during the Renaissance
period, and the first freestanding
nude male sculpture made since
antiquity. Less ‘severe’ appearance
than marble.

3. Donatello’s ‘David’ (1440s-60s)
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Analysis
Stands in relaxed, contrapposto pose and is
represented with a high level of naturalism.
Unlike idealized nudes of ancient antiquity
as clearly a boy rather than a man – slim
and fragile rather than powerful. Slightly
smaller than life-size –dwarfed by his
sword.
Unusual representation as David had
become a metaphor for the city of
Florence, protecting its freedoms from
threat.
Identity of the figure has been challenged –
the petasus hat is often seen in depictions
of Mercury (god of merchants and the arts
and therefore a suitable symbol for the
family).
Could represent both David and Mercury
or even Piero’s son Lorenzo as ‘a youthful
hero growing into a wise ruler’.

4. Donatello’s ‘David’ (1440s-60s)
Analysis
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The iconography of the bronze David follows
that of the Donatello’s marble David: a young
hero stands with sword in hand, the
decapitated head of his enemy at his feet.
Visually, however, this statue is startlingly
different. Naked, but for hat and shoes, David
is both physically frail and strikingly
effeminate. His physique, contrasted with the
absurdly large sword by his side, shows that
David has conquered Goliath not by physical
prowess, but through the will of God.
The boy's nakedness further enhances the
idea of the presence of God, contrasting the
youth with the heavily-armoured giant.

5. Michelangelo’s David (1501-04)
• In 1494 Piero de’ Medici known
as ‘the Unfortunate’ was forced
to flee Florence and go into exile
for being politically inept.
• Created a need for powerful
images of restored republican
power for the Government of
Florence in the Palazzo della
Signoria.
• Michelangelo’s David replaced
Donatello’s Judith and
Holofernes, to the left of the
entrance of the Palazzo della
Signoria.

6. Michelangelo’s David (1501-04)
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Analysis
Nearly three times life size – links
with colossal sculptures and
heroic male nudes of antiquity.
Virtually free of attributes – sling
shot is discreet and barely
noticeable.
Conveys the message that the
ordinary can be transformed into
the extraordinary by ‘a decisive
moment of action’.
Biblical text leaves room for
possibility of David being nude
but still unusually minimal in
depiction.

7. Michelangelo’s David (1501-04)
Analysis
• Blasted tree trunk behind David –
link with moral dilemma of
Hercules between virtue
(represented as a dry, rocky
landscape) and vice (flowering
landscape). Conveys message of
virtue.
• David is not depicted with the
head of the slain Goliath, as he is
in Donatello's statue of David.
Probably depicted before his
battle with Goliath.

8. Michelangelo’s David (1501-04)
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Analysis
The figure stands with one leg holding
its full weight and the other leg relaxed.
This classic pose causes the figure’s hips
and shoulders to rest at opposite
angles, giving a slight s-curve to the
entire torso (contrapposto).
The head, hands and feet are
disproportionately large due to the fact
that the David was originally intended
(for the operai) to go in a niche high up
in one of the buttresses of the
Cathedral of Florence, where the
important parts of the sculpture would
necessarily need to be accentuated in
order to be more visible from below.

9. Michelangelo’s Tools