Marble statue of the Evangelist Mark, sculpted by Niccolò di Piero Lamberti between 1408 and 1415. Part of the group of Evangelists adorning the original facade of the Cathedral, where it stood in a niche near the central portal. The sculpture feigns a depth that it does not have and is only worked on the front parts, visible from outside the niche. The idea of placing monumental statues of the Evangelists in niches to the left and right of the main doors of the Cathedral was part of an attempt at the beginning of the 15th century to revive interest in a project which had been almost a hundred years abuilding, and inject the decoration of the facade with some dramatic tension. St Mark is seated and holds the Gospel, he also originally held a pen in his right hand, but this is now lost. The Saint's face has a beard and short hair and he wears a large, old-fashioned cloak. Expresses a certain air of a classical philosopher, which however does not reach the quality of the marbles by Nanni and Donatello and still remains stylistically linked to the late Gothic styles.The sculptor, Niccolò di Piero Lamberti, worked concurrently on other projects for the Cathedral while also carrying out commissions for Orsanmichele and the Franciscan Friars in Prato; it took him seven years to complete the St Mark. When the façade was dismantled in 1587, this sculpture and its companions found a place in the chapels of the central tribune of the Cathedral and remained here until 1936, when they were transferred to the Museum.