Reconsidering the Young Donatello

This article investigates the early activity of Donatello, taking into account both documentary and visual evidence. The abundant sources relative to the decoration of Florence Cathedral are systematically studied in order to establish a nucleus of works indisputably executed by the young sculptor. Donatello’s youthful production in the realm of terracotta, first postulated by Luciano Bellosi in 1977, is then analysed in detail, as well as his oeuvre of monumental scale beyond the Cathedral, such as the marble statues for the Florentine church of Orsanmichele, where a case is made for the attribution of the “St Peter”. The article concludes with a tentative corpus of Donatello’s works from the first decade of his career (1406–1417).