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Bernardo Rossellino or Antonio Rossellino Bernardo Rossellino (sculptor) Italian, 1409 - 1464 Bernardo Rossellino or Antonio Rossellino Antonio Rossellino (sculptor) Italian, 1427 - 1479 The David of the Casa Martelli, c. 1461/1479 marble overall: 164.6 x 50.4 x 42.4 cm (64 13/16 x 19 13/16 x 16 11/16 in.) Widener Collection 1942.9.115 |
Object 5 of 8
Confidently focusing his attention upward, David stands triumphant with his chin high, hand on hip, and a foot on the severed head of Goliath. In his right hand, his sling is already reloaded, poised for battle should any Philistines dare return. Powerful in spirit and mind but not physically intimidating, the shepherd boy David was often used as a symbol in fifteenth-century Florence. Tucked into the hills of Tuscany, this small republic built its prosperity upon a textile industry and financial astuteness. As it grew in political importance, it became intent upon governing itself. Nearly every major Florentine sculptor, in response to the high demand from patrons, put his tools to a David triumphing over Goliath.
This David, which once stood in the courtyard of the palace of the Martelli family in Florence, appears in Agnolo Bronzino's painting Ugolino Martelli (c. 1540). Loyal to the Medici, the Martelli were a politically ambitious family of bankers with modest wealth. They were also significant patrons of the arts. Roberto Martelli, one of the more munificent Martelli family fathers, commissioned several works from Donatello; this David, once attributed to Donatello, may well be based on his model.
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