Lost wax bronze replica from original mold.
Author: Donatello (
Period: 1415-1417
The statue of San Giorgio di Donatello, preserved today in the Bargello National Museum in Florence, is part of the cycle of fourteen statues of the patrons of the Arts of Florence for the external niches of the church of Orsanmichele. It was commissioned by the Armorers and Swordsmen. St. George was a warrior saint, which is why he was chosen as the patron of the Armorers and Swordsmen, that is, by arms manufacturers. St. George is portrayed as a knight in armor and with a crusader shield, at the specific request of the gunsmiths who wanted to show a sample of their art.
The saint is conceived in the act of looking north-west with a snap of the head, towards the direction in which the traditional enemies of Florence, Lucca and Milan were. His pride is expressed above all in the tendons of the neck, in the furrowed eyebrows and in the expressive chiaroscuro in the pupils.
The statue immediately aroused the admiration of critics and was elected as a paradigm by many future Renaissance masters, including Michelangelo.
The original masterpiece is kept at the Bargello National Museum in Florence.
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