The room takes its name from the celebrated balcony pulpit made by Donatello for an outside corner of the facade of the cathedral for the solemn showing of the relic of the Sacred Belt:
the parapet of the external pulpit of the cathedral (1434-1438), made by Donatello and his school.
Because of the degradation suffered during their five centuries outside, the reliefs were removed from the pulpit in 1967 and were substituted with replicas.
A laborious restoration and cleaning (finished in 1999) directed by the Opificio delle pietre dure of Florence recreated a more unified and legible work.
The imposing parapet takes the form of a small round temple with double pilasters that divide it into seven carved sections, each displaying a group of dancing figures which seem to move with joyous and vivacious steps, pictorically rendered thanks to the “stiacciato” (or very low relief) and the reflection of the tessera in the background.

In addition, this room houses:
the container of the Sacred Belt  (1446-1447), made by goldsmith Maso di Bartolomeo, a student of Donatello, in gold-plated copper and bone and reelaborating the donatellan motif of the little angels dancing between the columns of the little temple; this box contained the relic up to 1633 at which time the present silver altar was constructed.
The room takes its name from the celebrated balcony pulpit made by Donatello for an outside corner of the facade of the cathedral for the solemn showing of the relic of the Sacred Belt:
the parapet of the external pulpit of the cathedral (1434-1438), made by Donatello and his school. Because of the degradation suffered during their five centuries outside, the reliefs were removed from the pulpit in 1967 and were substituted with replicas. A laborious restoration and cleaning (finished in 1999) directed by the Opificio delle pietre dure of Florence recreated a more unified and legible work. The imposing parapet takes the form of a small round temple with double pilasters that divide it into seven carved sections, each displaying a group of dancing figures which seem to move with joyous and vivacious steps, pictorically rendered thanks to the “stiacciato” (or very low relief) and the reflection of the tessera in the background.
In addition, this room houses:
the container of the Sacred Belt  (1446-1447), made by goldsmith Maso di Bartolomeo, a student of Donatello, in gold-plated copper and bone and reelaborating the donatellan motif of the little angels dancing between the columns of the little temple; this box contained the relic up to 1633 at which time the present silver altar was constructed.
Prato Cathedral Museum