Donatello’s pulpit under restoration
Just one more day and so much still to see. We were up early, had breakfast and a few coffees, then walked to San Lorenzo, where Donatello’s pulpits were top of my list. What a disappointment; one of them was totally covered, under major restoration and the other so well protected with plastic (or some similar see-through material) that photos were impossible from ground level. To view the stunningly
Donatello pulpit
sculpted facades we had to pay an entry fee at the base of a steep staircase (fair enough as these art works are expensive to maintain) but then we were too close to photograph the full length of the pulpit. Donatello died before they were finished, but the commission for these bronze relief ‘pictures’ was entrusted to him and was carried out by his pupils. The depiction of the crucifixion which I’d seen on my previous visit and which is stunning, must have been included in the restoration, completely covered up by timber panels.
Dusk and Dawn
Night and Day
The Medici Chapels are part of the structure. Without knowing exactly where we were going we came upon Michaelangelo’s sculptures of Dusk and Dawn, on the tomb of Lorenzo Medici and the equally powerful ones of Night and Day on Giuliano’s tomb. We couldn’t help commenting on the masculine appearances of the female figures in Night and Dawn – big, muscular thighs and oddly positioned breasts – give away his lack of knowledge of the female body. Obviously only male models used, which, even though he was homosexual, struck me as peculiar that he couldn’t (or wouldn’t?) use the real thing.
The Chapel of the Princes is another one of those displays of Florentine power and wealth, in this case, of the Medici family.
Altar decoration
Marble covers most of the walls and the floor. A decorated dome above the chapel was originally to be lined with lapis-lazuli (a wee bit extravagant even for the Medicis.) It was eventually painted with biblical frescoes by Pietro Benvenuti in 1828. The altar painting was added 
in the 19th century.
Coats of arms of many Italian cities are displayed around the lower sections of the walls. Not reading Italian, I couldn’t understand why these emblems of power were part of the decoration; perhaps this was just one more example of my lack of comprehension of so much to do with Florence.
MUSEO DEL OPERA DEL DUOMO
I hadn’t seen her on my previous visit, but 
Donatello’s Mary Magdalene took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes. I had always thought that his bronze figure of David as a boy (we visited him at the next gallery) was my favourite sculpture, but she is magnificent. Carved from wood, La Maddalena as he named her when he created her around 1455, leaves Michaelanglo’s David and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa for dead as far as I am concerned. Look at that sad sad face, that long, bedraggled hair and even the feet. Everything about her shows raw grief and emotional pain. Donatello lived and worked in the 15th century, but his ability to portray people with all their reality exposed, makes him my favourite sculptor of all time.
Ghiberti’s door panels from the Baptistry
The museum houses works of art that need protection – those that can’t be left to the elements, or the risk of damage inside the Duomo. Ghiberti’s panels, which won a competition for the doors to the Baptistry in 1401, are among the treasures preserved here. Seven artists, including Donatello and Brunelleschi, were invited to compete. They depict scenes from the Old Testament and were commissioned to celebrate Florence’s deliverance from the plague. There were more treasures to see, but being our last day, I was very keen to get to the Bargello for a sight of my other favourite Donatello, the famous and delightful young David.
Most visitors to Florence put the Uffizi at the top of their list, but I’ve been here before.
THE BARGELLO
On entering the Bargello we were side-tracked by a room full of majolica porcelain, most of which was displayed in glass cases making it difficult to photograph but a few pieces were hung high up on the walls, away from possible breakages. We wanted to stay for hours, studying the details and capturing the brilliant greens, blues and yellows that were the dominant colours used, but Donatello was waiting.
Donatello’s David
His David, in a gallery upstairs, was standing in the same spot as I saw him last time. After our many disappointments with things being moved, I was relieved to find him there. The hat and the haughty pose are what I most remembered about this unusual sculpture of David. Whereas Michaelangelo has depicted the famous biblical character as large and strong, Donatello’s shepherd boy is small, but not the vulnerable and retiring youth that I imagine as the boy in the bible.
David’s head of Goliath.
Even his foot has an arrogance about it, placed on the decapitated head of Goliath. This is Donatello’s most famous sculpture and no wonder; it’s absolutely delightful.
Verrocchio’s David
Verrocchio’s head of Goliath
Nearby is another David by Verrocchio. This sculpture is also of a youth, roughly the same size and also captivating. Goliath’s head is more impressive and gruesome in its detailed reality.
Donatello’s Attis/Love
Of course, touching was forbidden, but that ruling was hard to obey when I came to Donatello’s little bronze sculpture of Attis or Love, with the wings of an angel and the cutest bum.
The Bargello must be off the main tourist beat which makes it so delightful. Apart from the amazing treasures themselves, having time and space to wander, to take any number of photos without a constant barrage of people in the way, adds to the pleasure. This particular gallery contains many sculptures with only a few paintings, so perhaps one has to love the moulded form rather than the flat rendition of art, to appreciate these works.
If time permitted we would have stayed here all afternoon, but Florence had still more treasures and I was determined to show my sister all of my favourites.