Nude young man, David?

myminifactory

This is one of a series of exquisitely carved reliefs by Baccio Bandinelli (1493 - 1560), designed to line the sanctuary of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral - the third largest church in the world, after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London. The magnificent eighty-six reliefs were commissioned by Cosimo I de'Medici to modernize the cathedral according to the prevailing Mannerist taste of that era. Each relief portrays a distinct saint, representing male figures dressed in antique attire or nude. The identities of these men are unclear, but they likely represent patriarchs and prophets of Israel and Greco-Roman heroes, much like the figures painted by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling forty years earlier. The meaning of the choir sculptures was further enhanced by a mural on the inner dome. Bandinelli was an accomplished sculptor and a skilled courtier, but his tendency to appease his patron often hindered him from achieving truly exceptional artistry. His style borrowed its grandiose aspects from Michelangelo, yet his interpretation focused on imposing muscular bodies rather than abstract heroic concepts.