Donatello’s masterwork, known as the “Zuccone” or Pumpkin Head—a larger than life sculpture of a prophet—reigns supreme at a new exhibition of Renaissance sculpture.

The centerpiece of Sculpture in the Age of Donatello: Renaissance Masterpieces from Florence Cathedral, at New York’s Museum of Biblical Art, or Mobia, the “Zuccone,” 1435-36, is an iconic figure sculpture with the power to mesmerize crowds. Initially installed 70 feet up on the bell tower of the Duomo cathedral, the bald figure, his neck thrust forward, would have gazed down benevolently but resolutely, mingling strength with doubt.

Donatello brings his subject to life with subtle, abstract compositional forces. Simply follow the rhythmic folds of the Prophet’s drapery—drapery which begins as a slow swirl and eddies under the Prophet’s head—beyond the sublime and into the terrible.

Donatello’s Prophet is diminished only by a dry, matte surface that seems new. This is perhaps a restoration in the aesthetics of our time; materialism replaces illusion. The beautiful rivers of light, especially in the valleys, so typical of Donatello’s bumps and hollows, are gone with the luster.

“Abraham and Isaac (the Sacrifice of Isaac),” 1421, Donatello’s two-figure composition, also from the bell tower, is installed alongside the “Zuccone.” Carved from a single block of marble, the intertwined figures act out the Old Testament narrative in a spiral composition. This breakthrough formal device anticipates Michelangelo’s coiled, multiple-figure group technique and later reappears in Donatello’s three-part narration on a triangular base, “Judith and Holofernes,” 1460.

“St. Luke the Evangelist,” 1408-13, by Nanni di Banco, and “St. John the Evangelist” 1408-15, by Donatello, were initially installed on each side of the cathedral’s entrance, above eye level. At Mobia the seated Evangelists are displayed side by side in a brightly lighted gallery, and the difference between them quickly becomes a chasm.

Donatello’s “St. John” engages the viewer spatially, communicating personality through form. Both seated figures share the influence of the Gothic melded with the Ancient Roman as seen through the eyes of Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. But it is Donatello who conveys the inner life of his subject.

Nanni’s “St. Luke” projects his confident air in a static construction that seems caricatured next to “St. John.” Planes repeat frontally. Comparing the arms of “St. Luke” and “St. John” alone confirms Donatello’s superiority — Nanni’s postures are obvious.

Mobia’s exhibit features 23 treasures from Florence’s Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, under renovation until the fall. For those familiar with the charming atmosphere of the 13th-century Italian museum, Mobia’s exhibit will be a stark contrast.

At Mobia, these masterworks are displayed in a single, densely packed gallery sectioned off with screens, a high-tech exhibition design that calls attention to itself.

Nevertheless, Donatello’s figures will always reward the attentive viewer with their psychological presence and dynamic plastic form. Far from coming across as relics of the past, Donatello’s sculptures are forever in the now.

Sculpture in the Age of Donatello: Renaissance Masterpieces from Florence Cathedral, through June 14, 2015, Museum of Biblical Art, 1865 Broadway at 61st Street, New York, NY, 212-408-1500, www.mobia.org

More information about Mr. Gagnier’s work can be found at www.loribooksteinfineart.com