Donatello's David

Fond though I am of Psyché's bottom, I've decided it's time to replace William-Adolphe Bouguereau's L'Amour et Psyché (1899) in my sidebar. I've chosen Donatello's David (c.1440) partly because of its historic importance, but also because the Victoria & Albert Museum owns a plaster cast of the original bronze statue, which is in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello (CLICK). Donatello's bronze statue of David was the first unsupported standing work of bronze cast during the Renaissance and the first freestanding nude male sculpture made since antiquity. It marks the start of a trend away from sculptures of Christian saints to those of Greco-Roman gods. Donatello's David could easily be mistaken for a camp version of Hermes, messenger of the gods. The two other great Davids of the Renaissance are by Verrocchio and Michelangelo (CLICK). The Davids by Donatello and Verrocchio were both commissioned by the powerful Medici banking family.