The Bronze David of Donatello

This piece is about two things, influences and possibly the most beautiful sculpture ever made. The gorgeous boy bronze that Donatello created which resides in the Bargello Museum in Florence was the inspiration for a moving poem written by the American poet Randall Jarrell. I am third in line in this creative succession. In the sculpture we see Jarrell looking over the shoulder of Donatello and in his reverie at the young, David so that he may write the rapturous lines included in the sculpture. I have included the head of Goliath with its winged helmet, and David’s sword and hat. I would not presume to try to recreate David himself, Donatello was perfect.

The only known image of Donatello was in a painting by Paolo Uccello titled five Florentine gentlemen. Before the internet there was only a very poor photo of the painting in John Pope Hennessy’s book on Donatello. The painting, in the collection of the Louvre in Paris, had not been on display for many years. Through the cultural attaché of the French consulate in New York, I was able to have them remove the painting from storage, and photograph it properly so I might have an image from which to carve the glass.