When you hear of the statue of David you are more likely to think of Michelangelo's David. When in fact there are four statues of David: one created by Michelangelo, one by Bernini, and two by Donatello— all depicting the same heroine of the classic biblical tale, David and Goliath.
David - Donatello, 1403-1409
The first statue was created by Donatello— an Italian early Renaissance artist— “David ca. 1408-1409”. David was commissioned by the Operai del Duomo. Made in marble, the statue stands at 75 inches tall.
David - Donatello, 1435-1440
The second statue, also made by Donatello, was created around 1435-1440, the date is still debated by art historians. This David was commissioned by the Medici family— a family from Italy with strong political ties and are known for commissioning many of the world's most famous artwork (such as “Botticelli's Birth of Venus ca. 1484-86” and “The Annunciation by Fra Angelico ca. 1443”)
Donatello's second David was created in bronze. A freestanding nude sculpture depicting David— a young boy victorious with Goliath's severed head at his feet. Many believe David to be portrayed as naked to show how he has bared himself before God, and to show his immaturity, unlike the David's later created by Michelangelo and Bernini. David resembles the classical Greek sculptures while maintaining the ideals of 15th century Florentine art.
David - Michaelangelo, 1501-1504
The third artwork created is by Michaelangelo— arguably one of the most famous sculptures in the world. Michaelangelo's David is a classic example of high Italian Renaissance and classical antiquity— carved out of marble and depicting biblical figures. Created between 1501-1504, this David depicts a grown man despite the original story being about a boy no older than 16 years old. No doubt Michaelangelo wanted to express masculinity and muscle, a trait of his artworks. This David is the only piece to completely omit any trace of the giant Goliath. In contrast to Donatello's David, standing victorious over Goliath's head, this David is before the battle has happened— he wears a wary face, anxious for the battle to come.
David - Bernini, 1623-1624
Fourth David was made by Bernini, over the course of 8 months from 1623-1624. Bernini was an early baroque artist known for his sculptures and architecture. The story of David and Goliath was a popular subject in the Italian Renaissance, yet the four popular sculptures are different in major ways we might not realize— Donatello's David depicted him victorious after battle, Michaelangelo's David anxious before battle, and Berninis’ in the act of throwing the pebble that takes down Goliath. Another big difference between Berninis' David compared to the older depictions of David is how Bernini sculpted David mid action— contorting his body to throw a pebble at his foe. Berninis David was created using the lost-wax method— a long process that takes building the sculpture out of wax first before creating the mold and casting— and casted in marble.
My favorite sculpture of David is the second by Donatello. Which is yours?
This was a relatively short run down of the famous David sculptures so I am sure there's plenty of details I have left out and I'm sure there are more than 4 sculptures of David but these are just the most well known. perhaps I'll go over them in a later post.
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