Until November 30, Florence’s Baptistery will exhibit three exceptional sculptures: the Beardless Prophet, the Bearded (or Thoughtful) Prophet and the Prophet Jeremiah, all attributed to Donatello and sculpted in marble between 1415 and 1436, and created for the bell tower of Florence’s Duomo.
The sculptures are fresh from the only restoration they have had in 600 years. The idea for the exhibition, which was organised by 26-year-old Florentine Francesca Campana Comparini, came from art critic Sergio Risaliti, who stated at the exhibit’s opening: ‘Donatello’s Prophets are so lifelike. These statues could be mistaken for real men, personifications of exemplary citizens … who endeavoured to turn Florence into the cradle of Renaissance art.’
