Donatello
St. Mark 1411-13
Orsanmichele, Florence

This sculpture was ordered by the linen makers guild for Orsanmichele. The method Donatello used was to first model the figure in clay in the nude and then drape it with actual cloth which had been soaked in a thin slip of diluted clay. He arranged the folds to cling or to fall on the body as he wished. The figure is fully articulated and shows the function of each limb. It also shows a complex personality. 

The pose is relaxed, the weight thrown a little on his right leg, the body turned slightly clockwise. The austere verticality of his right side opposes the more lively rhythm of his left and of his beard. In this way, Donatello varies his forms without disturbing the stillness and dignity of this imposing, meditative figure.