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Donatello
Donatello,
real name Donato di
Niccolò di Betto Bardi (c.
1386-1466), Italian Renaissance
sculptor, who is generally
considered the most original
sculptor and one of the greatest
artists of the early
Renaissance.
Donatello
was born in Florence, the son of
a wool comber. When he was 17
years old, he assisted Lorenzo
Ghiberti in constructing and
decorating the famous bronze
doors of the baptistery of San
Giovanni, Florence. Later,
Donatello was also an associate
of Filippo Brunelleschi, with
whom he reputedly visited Rome in
order to study the monuments of
antiquity.
Donatello's
career may be divided into three
periods. The first and formative
period comprised the years before
1425, when his work is marked by
the
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influence
of Gothic sculpture but also shows
classical
and realistic tendencies. Among his
sculpture of this period are the statues
St Mark (church of Or San Michele,
Florence), St George (Bargello, Florence),
John the Evangelist (Opera del Duomo,
Florence), and Joshua (campanile of the
cathedral, Florence).
The
second period (1425-1443) is generally
characterized by a reliance on the models
and principles of the sculpture of
antiquity. From 1425 to 1435 Donatello
worked with the Florentine sculptor and
architect Michelozzo on a number of
projects, including the monument to
Bartolomeo Aragazzi (Montepulciano
cathedral). In their joint work Michelozzo
executed the architectural designs and
also helped in the making of the bronze
castings; Donatello executed most of the
statues. From 1430 to 1433 Donatello spent
periods in Rome, where he created a number
of works, notably the ciborium in the
sacristy of the St Peter's Basilica,
decorated with the reliefs Worshipping
Angels and Burial of Christ. It was in
Florence, however, that he created the
most noted work of this period-the bronze
David (c. 1430-1435, Bargello), the first
nude in Renaissance sculpture.
In his
third and culminating period, Donatello
broke away from classical influence and in
his work emphasized realism and the
portrayal of character and of dramatic
action. Notable examples of his sculpture
of this period are Miracles of St Anthony
(Sant' Antonio, Padua); Gattamelata (in
the square before Sant' Antonio), the
first bronze equestrian statue since
ancient times; and Judith and Holofernes
(Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence).
The
sculpture of Donatello influenced that of
Florence and northern Italy in the 15th
century. It was also a major stimulus on
the development of realism in Italian
painting, notably in the work of the great
Paduan artist Andrea Mantegna. Donatello
had many pupils, the most important of
whom was Desiderio da Settignano. He died
on December 13, 1466.
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