David (Donatello, marble)

David
The marble David, pictured at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, in 2022.
Artist	Donatello
Year	1408–09, 1416
Subject	David
Dimensions	191 cm (75 in)
Location	Bargello

David is a marble statue of the biblical hero by the Italian Renaissance sculptor Donatello. One of his early works (1408–1409), it was originally commissioned by the Operai del Duomo, the Overseers of the Office of Works, for the Florence Cathedral and was his most important commission up to that point. In 1416, the Signoria of Florence ordered the statue to be sent to the Palazzo della Signoria (now known as the Palazzo Vecchio), where it held both a religious and political significance. As part of its relocation, Donatello was asked to make adjustments to the David.

Typical of the International Gothic style, the marble piece is noted as not being representative of the approach Donatello had toward his work as he matured. The statue is also clothed, unlike the nearly nude bronze figure of David which Donatello sculpted circa the 1440s. The latter became more widely known than his marble piece; both are now in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence.