Donatello - Delphi Complete Works of Donatello (Illustrated)

Donatello

(c. 1386-1466)

Contents

Delphi Classics 2017

Version 1

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Masters of Art Series

Donatello

By Delphi Classics, 2017

Masters of Art - Donatello

First published in the United Kingdom in 2017 by Delphi Classics.

Delphi Classics, 2017.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published.

ISBN: 978 1 78656 515 0

Delphi Classics

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Delphi Publishing Ltd

Hastings, East Sussex

United Kingdom

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Florence Donatellos birthplace

Florence in a 1493 woodcut from Hartmann Schedels Nuremberg Chronicle

Coat of arms of the Arte della Lana, the wool guild of Florence during the Late Middle Ages. Donatello was the son of Niccol di Betto Bardi, who was a member of the Arte della Lana.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

In this section, a sample of Donatellos most celebrated works is provided, with concise introductions, special detail reproductions and additional biographical images.

Donato di Niccol di Betto Bardi, the most celebrated sculptor of the Italian Renaissance, was born in Florence, probably in the year 1386. Educated in the house of the Martelli family, Donatello went on to receive his artistic training in a goldsmiths workshop, before working briefly in the studio of Lorenzo Ghiberti, the chief Florentine sculptor of the day. The earliest surviving account of Donatello comes from 1401, when he was sixteen years old, and describes how he was charged for disturbing the peace for hitting over the head and drawing blood of Anacino, the son of a German. At once, we become familiar with Donatellos fiery and spirited nature.

Between the years 1404 and 1407, Donatello undertook studies of classical artworks and excavations in Rome with his friend Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446), gaining the two men the reputation of treasure seekers. This formative time was decisive for the entire development of Italian art in the fifteenth century, as Brunelleschi undertook his measurements of the Pantheon dome and of other Roman buildings, which enabled him to construct the noble cupola of S. Maria del Fiore in Florence, while Donatello acquired an invaluable knowledge of classical sculptures. The two masters, each in his own sphere, were to become the leading spirits of the flourishing Florentine art movement. Brunelleschis buildings and Donatellos sculptures would come to be regarded as the supreme expression of the spirit of the early Renaissance in architecture and sculpture, exacting a major influence on the painters of that time.

Donatello had returned to Florence by 1406 and one of his first major commissions was a marble David and Goliath, now held at Florences Museo Nazionale del Bargello. The sculptor was still in his early twenties, when he received the challenging commission for a carved statue to stand on one of the buttresses of Florence Cathedral, though it would in fact never find its way there. Nanni di Banco (13841421) was commissioned to carve a marble statue of Isaiah at the same time. One of the statues was lifted into place in 1409, but was found to be too small to be seen clearly from the ground and was taken down; both statues then languished in the workshop of the opera for several years. In 1416 the Signoria of Florence commanded that the David should be sent to the Palazzo della Signoria. The biblical hero was clearly viewed as a powerful political symbol, whose story served as an important symbol of unconfined liberal thought. Donatello was asked to make a few adjustments and a pedestal with an inscription was also added: PRO PATRIA FORTITER DIMICANTIBUS ETIAM ADVERSUS TERRIBILISSIMOS HOSTES DII PRAESTANT AUXILIUM (To those that fight bravely for the fatherland the gods lend aid even against the most terrible foes).

Originally, the figure would have been gilded and painted, intended to be set on a pedestal with mosaic. As the figure would have been seen from a considerable distance below, Donatello distorts the proportions to allow for the angle of view. The marble David is closely tied to tradition, revealing few signs of the innovative approach to representation that Donatello would later develop. Although the positioning of the legs hints at a classical contrapposto , the figure stands in an elegant Gothic sway, hinting at the influence of Ghiberti. Donatello represents the young shepherd as a triumphant and graceful hero, who stands eloquently poised after his remarkable victory, his arm held akimbo as he appears somewhat distracted. Davids face is curiously blank of emotion, lacking the naturalism that the sculptor would later become noted for conveying in his work. The hero is oblivious of the gargantuan head of Goliath that rests between his feet. His conquering weapon, the sling, has been discarded on the severed head, while the fatal stone is embedded in the centre of the forehead. Goliaths head is carved with great assurance, revealing the young sculptors interest in the Roman statues of mature bearded heads.