Saint Mary Magdalene (detail), c. 1453-1455, Donatello
The tendrils of love seem to have echoed the footsteps of the Christian pilgrims who followed the divine pathway to God or to a garden of earthly delights. With Settignano you get the impression that his soul or blood ties were of a very royal or refined nature and his reflection of the love of Christ was also apparent with other secular themes. Donatello, although a different sensibility and personality also had a very profound understanding of his eternal relationship to God. His sculpture of Mary Magdalene reminds us of her spiritual vocation and finding God in the desert almost with the covering of her body with her hair.
