Bernardo Ciuffagni, King David

White marble statue, depicting King David, carved by Bernardo Ciuffagni in 1427-1435. The prophet is depicted larger than life, standing and has the appearance of a mature man, with a robust build, flowing beard, short hair and a penetrating gaze turned to the right. His head is crowned, he wears old-fashioned shoes and he is covered with a rich robe embroidered on the chest and with a large cloak; with his hands she plucks the strings of a zither and his lips are parted, perhaps in the gesture of intoning the Psalms.

The sculpture was commissioned to Bernardo Ciuffagni in 1427 and it was set in the unfinished facade of the cathedral. In 1433 the patrons were not satisfied with Ciuffagni's work and asked him to complete it by sculpting the crown at his own expense. When the facade was dismantled in 1587, the statue was taken to the Cathedral and placed in the current aedicule.

David, second king of Israel, whose stories are narrated in the Old Testament is a prophet and, by tradition, the author of the Psalms. In fact, this work seems to portray him in the act of singing and playing. According to the Christian tradition, it is from his lineage that the Messiah will be generated.