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Bellwork: Compare and Contrast
Compare and Contrast David sculptures
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SIMILARITIES
Bronze sculptures
David as a youth
Based on the biblical story of
David and Goliath
Depict end of battle where David
stands victorious after cutting off
Goliath’s head
Goliath’s head placed at feet
Arm on hip, sword in other hand
Contrapposto
Medici commissions
(both now at Bargello Museum)
LEFT: Donatello’s bronze David,
made around 1446
RIGHT: Andrea del Verrocchio’s
David, made 1473-75
Donatello’s David
bronze, ca. 1446
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David is NUDE!
Stands 5’2” approx.
Wears a soft hat and a pair of boots
Hair is long and hangs down in
ringlets
● Expression – far-away look
● Located in Florence –
David is a symbol of Florence
(Medici family commission)
Verrocchio's David
bronze, 1473-75
"Verrocchio” in Italian means "true eye” , and was
the artist’s nickname. The name was a tribute given
to him for his artistic achievement.
NOT NUDE! Classical inspired tunic -- armor/cloth?
(fine details – gold trim in clothes,
hair)
More Angular – diagonal lines of left arm carries
follows to pointed sword
Smaller -- Just over 4 feet (and shorter, curly hair)
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Model said to have been a young man and a
newcomer to his workshop…Leonardo da
Vinci (dressed in latest fashion)
Expression – slight smirk
Goliath’s Head is a separate bronze piece!
Goliath’s head is sometimes placed in between
David’s feet and is a separate piece of bronze.
Located in Florence and Medici family commissioned
First David by Donatello
David, marble, 1408
Traditional – conventional posture of a
triumphant youth - CLOTHED
Classical features similar to sculptures
found in Ancient Greece and Rome
Contrapposto
A little over 6 feet tall
Commissioned by Cathedral of
Florence’s operai – “workers” – who
wanted to place 12 sculptures up and
around the buttresses, but they were
too small to see from the ground and
were removed
1416, Florence government requested
its display at the town hall
Casting Techniques: BRONZES
Bronze =
copper and tin
DIRECT VS INDIRECT
Lost-Wax Methods
+ small amounts of other metals
DIRECT
Direct Lost-Wax Technique
animation made for "Hadrian" Exhibition
in the Israel Museum
(about 4 min)
Object produced is always unique
because the mold is destroyed as part
of the casting process
Used frequently in Italian Renaissance
Disadvantages
• If the casting failed, the wax model
(the sculptor’s entire work) was lost
• Only one bronze could be produced
from a sculptor’s model
Rediscovery of antiquity -Greek and Roman Bronzes!
• PATRONS: 1500 - bronze collections of
antiquity became popular
o Patrons wanted old and new works!
• ARTISTS: Refined indirect lost-wax
method
o Earliest sculptor known to have
routinely used indirect casting was
Antico of Mantua (ca. 1460–1528)
Ancient GREEKS used
indirect lost-wax early on –
7th century BCE
• No description survived
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Did Renaissance artists
reinvented it or just revive it?
(some indirect casting in Medieval times)
BRONZES
DIRECT VS INDIRECT
Lost-Wax Methods
Indirect Lost-Wax
Casting Method
(about 6 min)
• Involves casting a second model in
wax – intermodel (required piecemolding)
• Multiple versions of the same
piece was possible – early form of
MASS PRODUCTION
Research Paper: Iconic Community Artwork
The Connection Between David and Florence
David has been an emblem for the city of Florence, Italy, since
Renaissance times. Like Florence, David turns out to be more powerful
suspected.
David symbolized the image Florence wanted – strength, youthful
confidence, and victory over adversities. David was a reminder for Florence
to: “defend boldly and justly.”
Use your technology to research an iconic artwork
that represents a city in our world today.
See Assignment and Rubric
100 Mastery Points
Due Monday, Jan. 30