Donatello – the name used professionally by Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, one of the greatest of all Italian Renaissance artists whose work in bronze was rivaled by that of his work in marble, is today remembered for the entire opus of his work, as well he should be. But he is most particularly remembered for a single piece, his bronze statue of David, and that this one work of his should after so many centuries stand out is also fitting, not only because of the intrinsic beauty of the figure, not only because it was the first freestanding nude made and displayed since the Renaissance, but also because the work illuminates the complex system of artistic production and artistic patronage that existed in the early years of the Renaissance, especially in regards to the de Medici family.
