Sculptor, 1386 to 1466
Donatello
Donatello could carve a saint as alert as a soldier on watch, a boy hero as a naked dreamer, and a penitent as a skeleton in her own hair. He worked in Florence for most of eighty years, and you meet him all over it.
- Born
- 1386, Florence, Italy
- Died
- 1466, Florence, Italy
- Movement
- Early Renaissance
- In Florence
- 5 works in 3 museums
Where to see Donatello in Florence
Each work with the museum it hangs in. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
Bargello National Museum2 works
David
about 1440
A boy in a shepherd's hat and boots, one foot on the head of Goliath, in bronze. It stood in the courtyard of the Medici palace.
Saint George
about 1415 to 1417
Made for the armourers' guild at Orsanmichele: a young knight braced behind his shield. The relief beneath it, of the saint killing the dragon, is the first to use perspective.
Opera del Duomo Museum2 works
The Penitent Magdalene
about 1453 to 1455
Carved in wood for the baptistery: old, gaunt, clothed in her own hair. Nothing in Renaissance art is less flattering or more moving.
The singing gallery
1433 to 1439
A marble balcony for the cathedral's organ, with a frieze of children dancing wildly behind a row of columns set with mosaic.
Palazzo Vecchio1 work
Judith and Holofernes
about 1457 to 1464
Judith raises the sword for the second blow. The bronze was made for a fountain of the Medici and set up in front of the palace when they were driven out, as a warning to tyrants.
The life of Donatello
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi was born in Florence about 1386 and trained in the workshop of Ghiberti. He went to Rome with Brunelleschi to study the ruins, and came back to carve the statues for the cathedral, the bell tower and the guild church of Orsanmichele that made his name.
Cosimo de' Medici was his patron and friend. Donatello spent ten years in Padua, returned to Florence in old age, and was buried, as he had asked, near Cosimo in the church of San Lorenzo.
What to know
- His bronze David was the first free-standing nude statue since antiquity
- Is buried in San Lorenzo, near his patron Cosimo de' Medici
- Worked in marble, bronze, wood, terracotta and stucco
- Born
- About 1386, Florence, Italy
- Died
- 13 December 1466, Florence, Italy
Donatello: common questions
- Where can you see Donatello in Florence?
- At the Bargello National Museum: David and Saint George. At the Opera del Duomo Museum: The Penitent Magdalene and The singing gallery. At Palazzo Vecchio: Judith and Holofernes. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
- What is Donatello's most famous work in Florence?
- David, of about 1440, at the Bargello National Museum. A boy in a shepherd's hat and boots, one foot on the head of Goliath, in bronze. It stood in the courtyard of the Medici palace.
- When and where was Donatello born?
- About 1386, at Florence, Italy. Donatello died on 13 December 1466, at Florence, Italy, aged about 80.
- What is Donatello known for?
- His bronze David was the first free-standing nude statue since antiquity. Is buried in San Lorenzo, near his patron Cosimo de' Medici. Worked in marble, bronze, wood, terracotta and stucco. Donatello was an Italian sculptor, of the Early Renaissance.
Tickets and tours: Donatello in Florence
Things to do near the Bargello
The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.
- 4Walk the halls of the Palazzo Vecchio200 m awayMonument, 1.5 to 2.5 hours, square free, ticket for the palace
- 12See the real Gates of Paradise at the Opera del Duomo Museum300 m awayMuseum, 1.5 to 2 hours, ticket
- 3Climb Brunelleschi's dome on the Duomo350 m awayChurch, 2 to 3 hours, cathedral free, ticket for the dome
- 1Stand in front of Botticelli's Venus at the Uffizi350 m awayMuseum, 2.5 to 4 hours, ticket
Where to eat near the Bargello
The nearest of the famous tables this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- Vivoli4.5Gelateria, Santa Croce200 m away
- Antico Ristorante Paoli4.7Restaurant, Orsanmichele200 m away
- Perché no!4.6Gelateria, Orsanmichele200 m away
- Rivoire3.8Café and chocolate maker, Piazza della Signoria250 m away
Hotels near the Bargello
The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- Hotel Bernini Palace4.7Five-star hotel, Piazza della Signoria150 m away
- Palazzo Portinari Salviati4.8Five-star hotel, Via del Corso150 m away
- Hotel Savoy4.7Five-star hotel, Piazza della Repubblica300 m away
- Portrait Firenze4.8Five-star hotel, Ponte Vecchio450 m away
Other artists
Picture: Yair Haklai, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sculptor, 1378 to 1455
Lorenzo Ghiberti
Ghiberti gave almost fifty years to two pairs of bronze doors for the baptistery of Florence. The second pair are the Gates of Paradise, and the originals are in the cathedral museum.
Early Renaissance. 3 works in 2 museums
See the artist
Painter, 1395 to 1455
Fra Angelico
Fra Angelico was a friar at San Marco, and painted his own convent. Its museum has the Annunciation at the head of the stairs, a fresco in every cell and his altarpieces from the churches of Florence.
Early Renaissance. 4 works in 1 museum
See the artist
Painter, 1397 to 1475
Paolo Uccello
Paolo Uccello was a Florentine obsessed with perspective. The Uffizi has the central panel of his Battle of San Romano, and the cathedral has his painted monument to a soldier and the clock above its door.
Early Renaissance. 3 works in 2 museums
See the artist