Donatello, the first Renaissance sculptor. Life, style, major works

Donatello (Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi; Florence, 1386 - 1466), one of the greatest sculptors of all time, is considered the artist who initiated the Renaissance in sculpture. A Florentine, trained in Lorenzo Ghiberti’s workshop, a friend of Filippo Brunelleschi and a great lover of classical art, he proposed revolutionary works of art, endowed with an unprecedented expressiveness, always original and always different, so much so that it is very difficult to summarize in a small space all the achievements of his art. Donatello was able to study man in both his physical and inner aspects, fully capturing the essence of the Renaissance.

The Florentine sculptor had a very long life, so that his art was able to go through different phases, always under the banner of continuous innovation, experimentation with new forms, rediscovery of nature and antiquity, with works whose style often knows mutations but always in the wake of the experimental research that distinguished the inspiration of this great artist. For almost his entire career he worked in Florence, but his stay in Padua, from 1443 to 1454, was decisive in that it allowed Renaissance innovations to spread to northern Italy as well. The great historiographer Giorgio Vasari, in his Lives, recognized Donatello’s worth, calling him a “most rare sculptor and marvelous statuary.” “Ebbono l’opere sue tanta grazia, disegno e bontà,” Vasari wrote, “choltre furono tenute più simili alleccellenti opere deglantichi Greci e Romani, che quelle di qualunche altro fusse già mai; onde a gran ragione se dà gli grado del primo che mettesse in buono uso linvenzione delle storie ne bassi rilievi.”

Many innovations Donatello introduced with his work: the technique of the stiacciato revolutionized the conception of space in reliefs, his characters reached degrees of psychological and physiognomic finesse that had never been seen before (Donatello’s art in this sense is a reflection of the rediscovery of man that characterized the 15th century), with the monument to Gattamelata he knew how to create a new way of celebrating glory, and with his last works he was also an interpreter of that “tragic” sense of the Renaissance often emphasized by many historians and philosophers.

Life of Donatello

Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, known as “Donatello” because of his slender build but also because of his elegance, was born in Florence to Niccolò di Betto Bardi, a modest wool carder (the family was not related to the banker dynasty of the same name) and Orsa. According to Giorgio Vasari, Donatello was educated in the house of Roberto Martelli, but the first mention of him was in 1401, when he was cited in Pistoia for beating a German (this is the only violent incident concerning him, which would later be followed by a conviction: biographers all agree, however, that he was of a salacious and fiery temperament). In 1403 he made a trip to Rome with Filippo Brunelleschi, with whom he had meanwhile become friends, to study classical antiquity. In 1405 he worked as a collaborator with Lorenzo Ghiberti on the site of the North Door of the Baptistery of Florence.

In 1408 he executed his first work, the marble David now in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, commissioned by theOpera del Duomo of Florence. Also for the Duomo of Florence, in the same year he was commissioned the St. John the Evangelist . Around 1416 he made the St. George for the church of Orsanmichele, and in the same year he began work on statues for the Duomo bell tower (the Beardless Prophet, the Thoughtful Prophet, the Sacrifice of Isaac,Habakkuk, and Jeremiah). By contrast, the Marzocco in Piazza della Signoria, the symbol of the Florentine Republic, now in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, dates from 1418-1420, executed in pietra serena. In 1422 he began work on the San Ludovico for the church of Orsanmichele: this was his first work in bronze, to be finished in 1425. Just in 1425, Donatello opened a workshop together with the great architect Michelozzo: the collaboration between the two artists would end in 1433, and the two together would create masterpieces such as the funeral monument of Cardinal Rainaldo Brancaccio in the church of Sant’Angelo a Nilo in Naples(read more here) and the pulpit of the Cathedral of Prato(read more here). In 1427 Donatello made the Banquet of Herod, a panel for the Baptismal Font in the Baptistery of Siena that had originally been assigned to Jacopo della Quercia: the commission was later given to Donatello because of the Sienese sculptor’s continual delays.

The artist made another trip to Rome in 1433, this time with Michelozzo, and carried out some works in the capital of the Papal States. In 1435 Donatello was back in Florence where he worked on the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo: the work would keep him busy until 1443. Moreover, these years include the creation of the celebrated bronze David, now in the Bargello Museum, perhaps commissioned by Cosimo il Vecchio. Precisely in 1443 he was called to Padua to execute the monument to Erasmo da Narni, known as Gattamelata: he stayed in the Venetian city for ten years and worked on other important commissions. These include the Altar of the Saint in the Basilica of St. Anthony, on which the artist began work in 1466 (the work would be finished in 1450). In 1450 he made several stays in Mantua, Ferrara, and Modena. In 1453 he finished the equestrian monument to Gattamelata and made his return to Florence. In 1455 he made the Magdalene for the Baptistery of Florence(read more about the work here). In the same year he worked on the Judith and Holofernes in the Palazzo Vecchio. In 1457 he moved to Siena where he was commissioned to make the doors of the Duomo, a work destined to fail (only a trial relief remains). In 1460 Donatello returned to Florence and around 1465 executed the bronze pulpits for the basilica of San Lorenzo, his last known work. Donatello died in Florence on December 13, 1466.

Donatello’s style and major works

Donatello’s first major work is the marble David of 1408, executed when the sculptor was just twenty-two years old: the legacies of Late Gothic began to fade, and instead a classical sensibility began to emerge that would later distinguish all of Donatello’s achievements. The late Gothic legacies (the same ones that characterize another famous early work, the St. George of 1416 executed for the church of Orsanmichele) are found above all in the face, which seems almost devoid of expressiveness, and in the elongated and slender proportions of the figure, as well as in the robes that still refer to a typically Gothic culture. The Renaissance innovations can be seen in the pose, with the right leg carried forward in such a way that the weight is offloaded onto the left leg (a detail that reveals how the sculptor devoted special care to the study of human anatomy), in the sense of grandeur and moral strength. The later bronze David, from about 1430, is a highly original work because the conception is Donatello’s own invention, as the artist does not seem to have been inspired by earlier models for this sculpture: a unique setting, with the figure of a David who also denotes a certain sensuality by revealing himself to the eyes of the observer in a languid pose. With this David, Donatello offers proof of great realism, for not only do the features of the character denote great care in the study of anatomy, but the details of the decorations, for example those on the helmet, show how the artist also paid special attention to detail. The rather petite physique of this David is symbolic of his moral qualities, for it conveys the idea of a young boy who overcomes his opponent with intelligence and reason, qualities that therefore prevail over strength. It is also a statue that shows great vitality, thus surpassing the youthful David in marble.

In 1427, Donatello made the relief of the Banquet of Herod for the baptismal font of the Baptistery of Siena, a work that had a rather complicated gestation because the realization began in 1414 but the work was not finished until 1430 (we know the events thanks to the documentation that has survived(. Some of the most important sculptors of the time participated in the realization: the font basin was hexagonal in shape and was to be decorated with six bronze panels, which were initially assigned in 1417 to Jacopo della Quercia, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Turino di Sano and the latter’s son, Giovanni di Turino. The panels were to have as their theme the stories of St. John the Baptist. The making of the panels went on for several years, and one of the two reliefs that had been assigned to Jacopo della Quercia was later entrusted to Donatello: it is the one with the Banquet of Herod. Donatello here succeeds masterfully in communicating the feelings and moods of his characters, and he succeeds in giving a new expressiveness to his figures: each of them has its own individuality, its own personality, and is studied with care and attention. It is also a fully Renaissance work in terms of the conception of space, where the technique of stiacciato is widely used. Donatello skillfully applies his friend Brunelleschi’s rules of perspective: the Banquet of Herod is marked by a scientific perspective construction, with the orthogonals of the composition converging toward a single vanishing point, to be located roughly in the center of the composition. The sense of depth is also ensured by the use of stiacciato (squashed in Tuscan), invented by Donatello: this is a technique that consists of a gradual decrease in the relief of the figures as they move apart: it follows, therefore, that, for example, the head of the servant with the tray is made in the round, the group of diners on the left is made in high relief, and conversely the figures in the second and third plan are only slightly embossed. Then, as the depth increases, the relief decreases and the figures further in the distance are almost flat. In addition to its technical value, stiacciato also has an expressive value, because with this technique the figures are flattened, and by being flattened and thus deformed, their emotional and dramatic load is accentuated.

Donatello was also able to innovate during his stay in Padua: according to Giorgio Vasari’s reports, he was called to Padua by the Venetian Republic to execute the monument to Erasmo da Narni, called the Gattamelata perhaps because of the name of his mother, Melania Gattelli. We know, however, that in fact the monument, made between 1445 and 1453, was commissioned by Gattamelata’s wife and son, and to erect it required the blessing of the Venetian Senate, which granted it shortly thereafter. Gattamelata was a condottiere who had served the Venetian Republic for several years and had died in Padua itself in 1443, and the monument commemorating him that can still be admired in Piazza del Santo in front of the Basilica of St. Anthony(although soon to be turned into a museum) is strikingly modern. The conception is unprecedented: in fact, it is the first equestrian monument after classical antiquity not to be designed to adorn a tomb, as was the case, for example, in the 14th century for the equestrian monuments of the Scaliger arches in Verona. Instead, the monument to Gattamelata was created for the sole purpose of honoring the memory of the condottiero and celebrating his glory. In sculpture it is the first in this sense, because in painting there had already been realizations born with the same intent, for example Paolo Uccello’s monument to Giovanni Acuto. In its realization, too, it is far removed from earlier equestrian monuments, those that surmounted tombs: if the latter were connoted by a certain rigidity, the monument to Gattamelata demonstrates an unprecedented plasticism and careful study of proportions and volumes. It is possible, indeed almost certain, to trace Donatello’s model to the equestrian monument to Marcus Aurelius, also in bronze like Donatello’s, but it is possible that the artist was also inspired by the horses, also from the classical period, that adorn St. Mark’s Basilica and were brought to Venice from Constantinople. However, Donatello did not simply imitate classical art, but was inspired by classical art and tried to give his works inspired by antiquity a new and original meaning: it is also conceivable that for some of his works, including this monument, he drew inspiration from reality, and this allowed Donatello to depict a large number of different poses and different moods.

In Padua, Donatello was also responsible for theAltar of the Saint, which still stands today inside the Basilica of St. Anthony: it was commissioned from him in 1446 and consists of an altar with a sculptural group with a statue of the Madonna and Child in the center and those of St. Anthony and St. Francis on either side, towering over the altar. Then there are other statues in the round decorating the altar, and they are those of St. Daniel, St. Justina, St. Louis and St. Prosdocimo. The altar is decorated with four bronze reliefs representing the miracles of St. Anthony. The reliefs with the miracles are works of great modernity: they have an impeccable perspective layout that unequivocally demonstrates Donatello’s assimilation of Filippo Brunelleschi’s rules of perspective, but also his ability to describe feelings resulting in extremely engaging works.

Among the works of his later years, in addition to the Magdalene executed for the Baptistery, Donatello’s most dramatic work, where the subject is charged with a never-before-seen and almost disconcerting expressiveness, offering a sense of all the suffering suffered by the saint, it is possible to mention the bronze Judith preserved in Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. The works of his later years are characterized by a rather heated religious sentiment that increases the dramatic and emotional charge of Donatello’s works, also in light of the philosophical implications of humanism that discovers not only the greatness of human beings but also the fact that they are at the mercy of events. These elements can be found in Magdalene but also in Judith: indeed, this too is a very theatrical work, with Judith holding firmly with one hand the head of Holofernes, who is at her feet, and with the other preparing to strike him. The characters are rendered in a very naturalistic way, and the sculpture was conceived as a free statue in the atmosphere, so Donatello poses the problem of the representation of the sculpture in space to be observed from multiple points of view, so much so that if you look at Judith’s face you can only see half of Holofernes’, which can only be seen entirely from another angle. It is a realization that stands outside the traditional box, a landmark for understanding the last phase of Donatello’s career, and evidence that Donatello innovated to the most extreme stages of his career.

Where to see Donatello’s works

Donatello’s works are mostly found divided between Florence, Padua and Siena, the three cities most marked by his inspiration. In Florence, many of his works are in the Museo del Duomo, which houses the five statues of the bell tower, the St. John the Evangelist, the choir loft, and the Magdalene. The most famous masterpieces are in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello: here are the marble David, the bronze David, the St. George, the Marzocco, the Dancing Putto, theAttis, and the relief with the Crucifixion. The wooden Crucifix from about 1406-1408 is in the Basilica of Santa Croce (whose museum houses the St. Louis of Toulouse), where the famous Cavalcanti Annunciation is also admired, while the Orsanmichele Museum houses the San Marco. Palazzo Vecchio preserves the famous Judith, and the Basilica of San Lorenzo houses the two bronze pulpits representing Donatello’s last works. Visiting the Florence Baptistery, on the other hand, one can admire the tomb of the antipope John XXIII, executed together with Michelozzo. Also dating from the time of his association with the architect are the pulpit of Prato Cathedral (the reliefs are preserved in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Prato) and the funeral monument of Rainaldo Brancaccio, in the church of Sant’Angelo a Nilo in Naples.

Several works, as mentioned, are in Siena. In the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the Duomo of Siena, are the tomb slab of Giovanni Pecci and St. John the Baptist, while in the Baptistery are reliefs and statues for the baptismal font (including Herod’s Banquet). The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Siena preserves the Madonna del Perdono. In Padua, the Altar of the Basilica del Santo and the Monument to Gattamelata are admired. A work by Donatello is also found in Pisa: it is the bust-reliquary of San Rossore kept at the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo. In Rome, the basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli holds the tomb of Giovanni Crivelli, made during his stay in Rome in 1432-1433. In Naples, in addition to the monument of Rainaldo Brancaccio, there is also the Testa Carafa, a bronze sculpture preserved at the National Archaeological Museum. In Lucca, the Museo Nazionale di Villa Guinigi preserves two terracotta Madonnas with Child that are, however, of debated attribution. Another debated work is the Madonna of the Apple, kept at the Bardini Museum in Florence (also given by some to Luca della Robbia).

Donatello, the first Renaissance sculptor. Life, style, major works

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