I’ve never really spent time up close and personal with Donatello before but it was a real treat to see the work on display at the V&A. We’re having something of a Donatello Fest at the moment with great shows to be see in Berlin and Florence. He was a very productive artist. Clearly patrons kept him permanently busy and it must have been thrilling to take delivery of one of his sculptures or paintings to put on display in your private chapel.

Donatello brings such emotion into his work; you absolutely feel the intensity of the relationship between the Madonna and child.The one on the right feels so stylised and modern but the bond is so strong.

It was difficult to get a good shot of this bust but it is so impressive to see in the round. He’s created a portrait of a living person, one imagines with his head in a familiar pose. The painting of the terracotta brings a dynamic feel to the piece. Apparently it’s of the Lord Mayor of Florence, made around 1455-60.

The full size statues are so impressive, whether in bronze or marble. On the left is a painted cast of Donatello’s David, made in 1885 from the original made in about 1386-1466. And the marble sculpture on the right is St John the Baptist. The delicate carving of the tunic is breathtaking.

Such tenderness to be seen in these Madonna and Child sculptures.You feel he’s really studied the expression of infants and the way a baby boy will chew on a finger or instinctively wrap his arms around his mother’s neck.

Faces are so well crafted in Donatello’s hands. Some of them are stylised and representative but some are most definitely of real people. The eyebrows and details of features are modelled so sensitively.

This great show is on at the Victoria and Albert Museum until 11 June 2023. Supported by Rocco Forte Hotels.