Il "David" di Donatello

Speranza

Donatello’s

David.

The lack of specificity of

gender in the

David has intrigued scholars for decades, provoking many to view the

inherent eroticism of the statue as a reflection of Donatello’s own sexual identity.

Though one has to caution people against such libidinal interpretations, one does

acknowledge that the statue’s androgyny is too conspicuous to be overlooked. Careful

of the pitfalls involved in linking particular representational modes with political trends,

rather than aligning the production of the statue with political currents of the period,

which would implicate Donatello as playing a role in the conspiracy, some reading

explores the audience’s response to such a statue, emphasizing with ambivalence the

power of the statue to, at once, invite and reject the male gaze.

Though clearly a deviation from the scriptural representation of the youth,

Donatello’s

David acted as a political persona representing the daunting challenges faced

by the republic of Florence.