Itinerary for discovering Donatello’s works in Florence

Florence is studded with marvellous masterpieces by some of the greatest artists in the history of art, including Donatello, one of the most important sculptors of all time, who was born, died (1386-1466) and spent most of his life in the lily city. Here we propose an interesting itinerary to discover his Florentine masterpieces.

The first stop on the itinerary is the Basilica of San Lorenzo, one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in Florence. It houses the Old Sacristy, one of the masterpieces of Filippo Brunelleschi and early Renaissance architecture in general. It was Donatello who personally created the painted and gilded stuccoes, including the Stories of St. John the Evangelist and the Four Evangelists, the series of Cherubs and Seraphim in the entablature. The same artist created, shortly before his death, two bronze pulpits with scenes from the Passion (Ascension and Resurrection) that can be admired today along the naves. A tombstone in honour of Donatello can also be seen in the basement of the basilica.

The second stop is the Museum of the Opera del Duomo, one of the most important museums in the world, both for the richness and quality of its collections and for the architectural and technological avant-garde of its rooms. Founded in 1891 and then richly expanded and renovated between 2012 and 2015, it houses over 700 works of art from the monumental complex of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore. Donatello’s works include: St John the Evangelist, his first revolutionary work; the Penitent Magdalene, one of the most famous sculptures in the history of art; the stupendous cantoria, with its joyous procession of dancing putti; and the series of Prophets, inspired by classical statuary.

The itinerary then continues with a visit to the Baptistery of San Giovanni, one of the city’s oldest places of worship and a masterpiece of Italian Romanesque architecture, in which faith, history and art come together. The monument that can be admired today was consecrated in 1059 and is perhaps the result of the expansion of a primitive baptistery. The interior is embellished with Gothic liturgical furnishings and Roman and medieval sepulchres, including the funeral monument dedicated to Cardinal Baldassarre Coscia, the antipope John XXIII, made by Donatello and Michelozzo between 1422 and 1428.

The next stop is the Bargello National Museum. It is housed in the ancient Palazzo del Podestà in Florence, which was transformed into Italy’s first national museum dedicated to the arts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance only in the 19th century. It houses sculptures, bronzes, majolica, waxes, enamels, medals, ivories, tapestries, seals and textiles, mostly from the Medici collections, suppressed convents and private collections. On the first floor is the Sala di Donatello with some of the Florentine artist’s most famous works: the splendid St. George, originally intended for one of the niches in Orsanmichele; the Marzocco, which once stood in Piazza della Signoria; Amore-Attis, one of Donatello’s most mysterious works; and the two Davids, a youthful marble one and the celebrated bronze one.

A few steps from the Bargello National Museum stands the imposing Palazzo Vecchio. It is the symbolic monument of Florence and, for over seven centuries, the seat of its government. It represents the best synthesis of the city’s 14th-century civil architecture. Inside is a museum tracing the political events and artistic history of Florence. One of the most beautiful rooms in the palace is the Sala dei Gigli, which boasts one of Donatello’s acknowledged masterpieces, the bronze statue of Judith and Holofernes, depicting the biblical heroine in the act of beheading Holofernes.

The sixth stop is the Basilica of Santa Croce, one of the greatest Gothic achievements in Italy, also known as the Temple of Italic Glories for the numerous tombs of artists, men of letters and scientists it houses (Machiavelli, Galileo, Michelangelo, Foscolo, etc.). Two valuable works by Donatello can be admired here: the Wooden Crucifix, kept in the Bardi di Vernio Chapel (at the head of the left transept); and the Annunciation of the Virgin, commissioned by Niccolò di Giovanni Cavalcanti and placed in the right aisle (sixth bay).

Finally, the itinerary ends with a visit to the Stefano Bardini Museum, named after its creator, one of the greatest and best-known antique dealers who lived between the 19th and 20th centuries. It houses over 3,000 works including paintings, sculptures, armour, musical instruments, ceramics, coins, medals and antique furniture. By Donatello we find: the Madonna dei Cordai, a polymath work made for the guild of the same name; and the Madonna della Mela, in polychrome terracotta.

Featured Photo © InToscana | Photo gallery © Toscana.uno – Controradio – Santa Croce Opera