One of Donatello's earliest works, the St. Mark was commissioned by the Guild of Linen Merchants, which considered the saint the patron of the labor group. Finished sometime between 1411 and 1413, the marble statue is 7 feet and 10 inches tall and was originally displayed in a niche outside of Orsanmichele, a church in Florence, Italy. To protect it, the St. Mark was replaced by a replica on the outside of the church, and visitors to Orsanmichele can now view the original inside. The St. Mark was revolutionary at its time as it drew from sculptures created in Ancient Rome and Greece, particularly in its contrapposto pose. A commonly used stance with the sculptors of antiquity, this positioning gives the appearance that St. Mark has most of his weight shifted upon one hip or side of his body, giving the statue a life-like appearance. The influence on antiquity and interest in naturalism is a theme that would continue throughout the Italian Renaissance.
Wealthy Florentine businessman and politician Cosimo de'Medici commissioned Donatello's David, which the sculptor completed around 1430. Fashioned of bronze, the statue stands at 62.25 inches tall and is housed at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, Italy. The statue depicts the youthful, nude figure of the Old Testament hero David, standing over the decapitated head of the giant Goliath. The statue was a departure from previous depictions of the scene not only because of David's nudity, but because of the careful attention paid to his anatomy. Donatello carefully depicts the musculature of the figure's torso and legs, using the reflective nature of the bronze to give the statue a highly naturalistic or realistic appearance. Like the St. Mark, the David also draws upon the influence of Greek and Roman statues, particularly in the statues in its contrapposto pose.
Not much is known about the history behind one of Donatello's last works, The Penitent Magdalen. Renaissance art scholars and professor emeriti of the University of Pittsburgh Frederick Hartt and David G. Wilkins place the date of the piece as 1430 to 1450 in their book "The History of Italian Renaissance Art." Carved from wood, the statue is approximately 6 feet and 2 inches tall and housed at the Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy. The statue shows a common theme of Middle Ages, that of Mary Magdalen after years of wandering the wilderness in the years following the crucifixion of Jesus, tortured by thoughts of her sinful life. Donatello handled the classic subject in a new manner, making the figure of the Magdalen ugly and twisted, with sunken eyes and a wrinkled face and neck. The expression on the statue reflects the turmoil experienced by the character and shows Donatello's continued interest in portraying his subject matter in a genuine, realistic manner.