The statue of David by sculptor Donatello depicts the young hero in a dreamy, contemplative mood after defeating Goliath. whose head lies at his feet. David's free, natural expression, combined with his shy appearance and the sensual texture of the bronze, give the statue life. Donatello's greatest gift was his ability to breathe human emotion into classical sculptures. Along with other remarkable sculptors, architects and painters who revolutionized Florentine art, Donatello is considered one of the creators of the Renaissance style. He was the favorite artist of the famous art patron Cosimo de' Medici Sr. Before Michelangelo, Donatello remained the greatest Florentine sculptor and perhaps the most daring and influential artist of the Renaissance. In his statue of David, for the first time since antiquity, he depicted a full-length nude figure in bronze.

Donatello's work embodied the search for new means of expression characteristic of the art of the Renaissance, a deep interest in reality in all the diversity of its specific manifestations, the desire for sublime generalization and heroic idealization. The master's early works (statues of prophets for the side portal of the Florence Cathedral, 1406–1408) are still marked by Gothic constraint of forms, crushed fragmentation of linear rhythm. However, already the statue of St. Mark for the facade of the Church of Orsanmichele in Florence (marble, 1411–1413) is distinguished by its clear tectonics of plastic masses, strength and calm grandeur. The Renaissance ideal of the warrior-hero is embodied in the image of St. George for the same church (marble, circa 1416, National Museum, Florence).

A unique gallery of highly individual portrait images is represented by the statues of the prophets for the campanile of the Florence Cathedral (marble, 1416–1435, Cathedral Museum, Florence). In the “picturesque” reliefs (“Herod’s Feast” on the bronze font of the Siena Baptistery, 1423–1427; reliefs of the Old Sacristy of the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence, 1434–1443) Donatello created the impression of great depth of space with the help of linear perspective, precise delimitation of plans and gradual lowering the image height. The Renaissance implementation of ancient forms is marked by such works of Donatello as the tombstone of Baldassare Coscia (antipope John XXIII; together with the architect Michelozzo di Bartolommeo, marble, bronze, 1425–1427, baptistery in Florence), which uses an antique sarcophagus, allegorical figures and order frame, altar “Annunciation” (the so-called Cavalcanti altar; limestone, terracotta, circa 1428–1433, Church of Santa Croce, Florence) with magnificent antique decoration, singing platform of the Florence Cathedral (marble with mosaics and gilding, 1433–1439, Cathedral Museum , Florence) with a cheerful round dance of merry putti, the statue of David (bronze, 1430s, National Museum, Florence) is the first image of the naked human body in statuary plastic of the Renaissance.

While working in Padua, Donatello created the first secular monument of the Renaissance - the equestrian monument to the condottiere Gattamelata (bronze, marble, limestone, 1447–1453) and a large sculptural altar for the church of Sant'Antonio (1446–1450), decorated with relief scenes, masterfully deployed in an illusory space. Donatello’s later works, performed in Florence, are highly expressive, marked by features of spiritual breakdown (group “Judith and Holofernes”, bronze, circa 1456–1457, Piazza della Signoria; reliefs of the pulpits of the Church of San Lorenzo, bronze, 1460s).
Donatello's influence on the development of Renaissance art in Italy was enormous; his achievements were adopted by many painters and sculptors - P. Uccello, A. del Castagno, Mantegna, and later Michelangelo and Raphael.

Donatello is an Italian sculptor who is a representative of the early Renaissance, the Florentine school. We will talk about his life and works in this article. The biography of this author is unknown in detail, so it is possible to present it only briefly.

Brief biographical information about the sculptor Donatello

The future sculptor Donatello was born in Florence in 1386, in the family of Nicollo di Betto Bardi, a wealthy wool carder. He trained from 1403-1407 in the workshop of a man named Lorenzo Ghiberti. Here he mastered, in particular, the technique. The work of this sculptor was greatly influenced by his acquaintance with another great man - Filippo Brunelleschi. Ghiberti and Brunneleschi remained the master's closest friends for life.

He said that the sculptor Donatello was a very generous person, very kind, treated his friends very well, and never attached importance to money. His students and friends took from him as much as they needed.

Early period of creativity

The activity of this sculptor in the early period, in the 1410s, was associated with municipal orders, which he was given to decorate various public buildings in Florence. For the building of Or San Michele (its facade), Donatello makes statues of St. George (period from 1415 to 1417) and St. Mark (from 1411 to 1413). In 1415 he completed the statue of St. John the Evangelista, who decorated the Florence Cathedral.

In the same year, the construction commission commissioned Donatello to make statues of the prophets to decorate the campanile. The master worked on their creation for almost two decades (from 1416 to 1435). Five figures are in the cathedral museum. "David" and the statues of the prophets (approximately 1430-1432) are in many ways still associated with the late Gothic tradition that existed at that time. The figures are subordinated to an abstract decorative rhythm, the faces are perfectly uniformly interpreted, the bodies are covered with heavy robes. But already in these creations, Donatello tries to convey the new ideal of his era - the heroic individual personality. The sculptor created works of various themes, in which this ideal is manifested. This is especially noticeable in the image of St. Mark (1412), St. George (1415), as well as Habakkuk and Jeremiah (years of creation - 1423-1426). Gradually, the forms acquire clarity, the volumes become solid, the typical is replaced by portraiture, and the folds of the clothes wrap the body naturally, echoing its movement and bends.

Tomb of John XXIII

The sculptor Donatello creates the tomb together with Michelozzo between 1425 and 1427. It became the classic model used for later tombs dating back to the Renaissance. The long-term collaboration of these two sculptors begins with this work.

Casting figures from bronze

At the beginning of the 1420s, Donatello turned to casting figures in bronze. In this material, his first work is a statue of Louis of Toulouse, which was commissioned from him in 1422 to decorate a niche in Or San Michele. This is one of the most remarkable monuments, which reflected the understanding of holiness as a personal achievement that dominated the Renaissance.

David statue

The pinnacle of this master’s work in bronze technique is created around 1430-1432. It is designed, unlike medieval sculpture, to go around in a circle. Another innovation was the theme of nudity, which Donatello addressed. The sculptor depicted David naked, and not in robes, as was customary before, for the first time since the Middle Ages so realistically and on such a large scale.

Other works by Donatello dating from the 1410s to the early 1420s include a lion carved from sandstone, the emblem of Florence, a wooden crucifix for the Church of Santa Croce, a bronze reliquary for the Church of Ognisanti, a bronze figurine housed in the National Museum of Florence under called "Attis Amorino", which is apparently an image of the ancient deity of fertility, Priapus.

Works in relief technique

Donatello's experiments in relief techniques were also revolutionary. The desire for a realistic depiction of illusory space leads the sculptor to create a flattened relief, where the impression of depth is produced through the gradation of volumes. The use of direct perspective techniques enhances the spatial illusion. By “drawing” with a chisel, the sculptor is likened to an artist painting a picture. Let us note here such works as “The Battle of George with the Dragon”, “Pazzi Madonna”, “Herod’s Feast”, “The Ascension of Mary” and others. The architectural background in the pictorial reliefs of this master is depicted using the rules of direct perspective. He managed to create several spatial zones in which the characters are located.

Trip to Rome, second Florentine period

The sculptor Donatello was in Rome from August 1432 to May 1433. Here he, together with Brunelleschi, measures the city’s monuments and studies ancient sculpture. Local residents, according to legend, considered the two friends treasure hunters. Roman impressions are reflected in such works as the tabernacle, made for the Chapel del Sacramento by order of Eugene IV (pope), the Annunciation (otherwise known as the Cavalcanti Altar, see photo below), the singing platform of one of the Florentine cathedrals, as well as the external pulpit, made for the cathedral in Prato (created 1434-1438).

Donatello achieves true classicism in the relief "Herod's Feast", created upon his return from a trip to Rome.

Around 1440, the sculptor creates bronze doors, as well as eight medallions for the Florentine Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo (period from 1435 to 1443). In the four reliefs sculpted from knock, amazing freedom was achieved in the depiction of interiors, buildings and human figures.

Paduan period

Donatello goes to Padua in 1443. This is where the next stage of his creativity begins. He performs the equestrian statue of Erasmo de Narni (Gattamelata statue). Donatello cast it in 1447, and this work was installed a little later - in 1453. The image was the monument to Marcus Aurelius. With the help of the diagonal, which is formed by the sword and the rod of Gattamelata (nickname of Erasmo), as well as the position of the hands, the sculptor Donatello combined the figures of the horse and rider into a solid silhouette. The sculptures he created during this period are truly magnificent. In addition to the above, he performs the altar of St. Anthony of Padua, as well as four reliefs depicting scenes from his life, which are considered the pinnacle of this master’s work in pictorial relief.

Even when Donatello depicts real movement, as in the two statues of St. in Florence (in Casa Martelli and in the Bargello), he confines himself to the most modest. In both cases, St. John is represented as walking, and every last toe participates in this movement. A new secret was wrested from nature.

A distinctive feature of Donatello's skill is that this sculptor depicted energy, strength, comeliness and grace with equal skill. For example, a bas-relief of a marble balcony carved in 1434 in the Cathedral of Prato depicts half-naked geniuses and children playing musical instruments and dancing with wreaths of flowers. Their movements are extremely lively, playful and varied. The same can be said about other marble bas-reliefs made for the Florence Cathedral.

Donatello does not work much in the last years of his stay in Padua. Apparently he is seriously ill. The sculptor returned to Florence in 1453 and continued to live here until his death (in 1466), with the exception of a short trip in 1457 to Siena.

Late Florentine period

Donatello's later work raises many questions. This sculptor did not create many interesting works in his late period of creativity. Sometimes they talk about the decline of his skill, as well as a return to some Gothic techniques. Donatello's sculpture from the 1450s to the early 1460s is represented by a statue of Mary Magdalene (1455, see photo below), made of wood, a group of "Judith and Holofernes", a statue of John the Baptist, reliefs on the themes of the Resurrection and Passion of Christ two pulpits in the Church of San Lorenzo. These works are dominated by the tragic theme that Donatello develops. The sculptor adhered to naturalism in his execution, which bordered on spiritual breakdown. A number of compositions were completed after the master's death by his students - Bertoldo and Bellago.

The sculptor died in 1466. He was buried in the church of San Lorenzo, which was decorated with his works, with great honors. This is how Donatello's career ends. The sculptor, whose biography and works were presented in this article, played a significant role in world architecture. Let us note what it consisted of.

The significance of this master's work

Donatello was a key figure in the history of Renaissance plastic arts. It was he who first began to systematically study the mechanism of movement of the human body, depicted complex mass action, began to interpret clothing in connection with the plasticity of the body and movement, set the task of expressing an individual portrait in sculpture, and focused on conveying the mental life of the characters. He perfected bronze casting and marble modeling. The three-plane relief developed by him indicated the path for the further development of sculpture, as well as painting.

Description of the creative path of the famous sculptor.

Biography

Florentine master Donatello(full name - Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi) - one of the key figures in the creation of Italian Renaissance sculpture. He inspired many of his contemporaries and left a significant mark on the art of the early Renaissance. Donatello is on a par with Filippo Brunelleschi, Tommaso Masaccio and Alberti - major creators of the same era.

Donatello created sculptures from bronze, stone and wood. His deep knowledge and skill in handling these materials allowed him to bring life to his work, combining realism with strong feelings. The master's works are full of energy and thought. The sculptor is the author of many famous sculptures in the history of art, but one of his most famous works is the nude figure of David.

David (1408–1409)

Bronze statue of David (1430–1440)

As his reputation grew, Donatello received more and more orders, among which was a statue of David in bronze for the palace of Casimo de' Medici. This sculpture demonstrates a departure from the traditional canons of Christian art: the femininity of the protagonist is surprising, as well as the degree of his nudity (it was one of the first such explicit works created in the Renaissance). Although David is depicted with the dead head of the defeated Goliath at his feet, the slender and feminine figure of the young man makes one doubt that he could deliver a fatal blow to such a strong opponent.

David. 1440

Career

The starting point in the master’s creative path can be considered his arrival at the studio of Lorenzo Ghiberti, where Donatello helped create several statues before moving on to independent work. The sculptor also collaborated with the famous Jacopo della Quercia.

Allegory of Eros

In 1411, the sculptor created a statue of St. Mark, and a few years later - a statue of St. George, which is one of the first examples of the use of central perspective in sculpture. These works were performed in bas-relief. The advantage of this method is that it allows the master to view the composition from different points of view without distorting objects. Donatello later creates five statues for Giotto's campanile, Herod's Feast (circa 1427), the Pazzi Madonna (circa 1420) and other iconic works.

Recession

The next generation of Renaissance sculptors created marble sculptures, against the background of which Donatello's style gradually began to fade. But the master continued to receive income, working until the end of his life. The famous sculptor died in 1466 and was buried in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, next to the Medici.

Details Category: Fine arts and architecture of the Renaissance (Renaissance) Published 10/16/2016 17:48 Views: 2596

An Italian sculptor of the Early Renaissance, Donatello was the founder of the individual sculptural portrait.

His full name is Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi.

From the biography

Sculptural portrait of Donatello in the Uffizi (Florence)

The future sculptor was born in Florence around 1386 and died and was buried there in 1466.

His father was a simple wool carder, but was able to notice his son's abilities. He sent him to the workshop of the painter and sculptor Bicci di Lorenzo, where he received an artistic education. At the end of his studies, Donatello even visited Rome (1404-1407) together with the architect Brunelleschi, where they trained under Lorenzo Ghiberti, a famous Italian sculptor, jeweler, and art historian of the Early Renaissance.

Creativity of Donatello

One of Donatello's first works was a high relief depicting the Annunciation.

Donatello "The Annunciation"

Donatello "The Annunciation" (circa 1428-1433). Church of Santa Croce (Florence)
Here is what Giorgio Vasari writes about this work: “He glorified his name by creating the Annunciation in sandstone, which is placed in Santa Croce, on the altar of the Cavalcanti Chapel. He painted a floral pattern all around... and at the top there are six babies, arranged in pairs, with flower garlands, hugging each other, as if afraid of dizzying heights.
He showed great talent and skill in the figure of the Virgin, frightened by the sudden appearance of an angel; she bows gracefully, timidly and respectfully greeting the angel. Her face reflects meekness and gratitude for the unexpected Gift.”
Before his trip to Rome, Donatello's realistic direction of creativity prevailed. Having studied classical examples of sculpture, he adopted Greco-Roman sculpture into his creative arsenal. Thus, Donatello worked in two styles: realistic and classical.

The realistic style includes, for example, statue of Mary Magdalene(circa 1454), whom he depicts as an emaciated old woman with long hair. The statue is in the Florentine Baptistery.
But still, the best works of the sculptor are considered to be those in which he sought his own path in accordance with his internal ideals. For example, a bronze statue of David.

Donatello "David"

Donatello "David" (circa 1440). Height 1.58 m. National Bargello Museum (Florence)
This sculpture is the first depiction of a free-standing nude figure since antiquity. According to Vasari, the statue of David was created by order of Cosimo de' Medici. But this information cannot be considered reliable. The author of the pedestal was Desiderio da Settignano.
David is a biblical character, a psalmist. Donatello does not portray him in accordance with traditional depictions of biblical heroes. This is one of three sculptural portraits made by Donatello. And in each of them David appears in a special way.

Fragment

Bronze David is almost still a boy with a youthful body and long hair. He is completely naked: he wears only a shepherd's hat and sandals with greaves (a piece of armor that protects the front of the leg from the knee to the ankle). The hero’s pose is free, the weight of the body is transferred to the right leg, and with his left he tramples the head of the Goliath he defeated.

Fragment

In his left hand he holds a stone from a sling - a weapon of victory. There is triumph on his face: he defeated Goliath (a huge Philistine warrior). But when looking at him, it is difficult to imagine that he is able to cope with the giant - therefore the event reveals the power of Divine intervention. Therefore, the statue depicting a weak youth standing over a defeated enemy speaks of the invisible presence of God in this scene.

Donatello. Statue of the Apostle Mark

Donatello. Evangelist Mark (1411). Marble. Church of Orsanmichele (Florence)
In 1411-1412 Donatello made a statue of St. Mark for a niche on the south side of the building of the Church of Orsanmichele, which still adorns the niche intended for it. The statue of Mark was commissioned by the foremen of the flax spinning workshop, perhaps that is why Donatello worked so carefully on the draperies of the clothes, depicting them in a variety of shapes. The statue immediately attracted the attention of contemporaries, because Donatello expressed the individual character of the character with great skill. Mark's figure is proportional, stable and monumental. The left hand, holding the book, simultaneously holds the cloak, which falls in loose folds, outlining the relief of the leg. The figure is full of dignity. Everything about this figure is significant. Michelangelo said of the statue of Mark that he “never saw a statue so like a decent man; if that was what St. Mark, you can also believe his writings.”

Donatello. Evangelist John

Donatello. Evangelist John (1410-1411). Marble. Cathedral Museum (Florence)

In 1408-1415. For the facade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, different sculptors created statues of four evangelists: John the Evangelist by Donatello, Apostle Luke by Nanni di Banco, Apostle Mark by Nicolo Lamberti, Apostle Matthew by Ciuffagni. Currently these statues are in the cathedral museum in Florence. The seated Apostle John is depicted as a powerful old man with powerful hands, full of restrained dignity and nobility.
Starting with this work, Donatello enters a new period of his creativity and creates masterpieces that open a new era in art.

Donatello. Statue of Gattamelata (Padua)

In 1444, Donatello in Padua cast in bronze an equestrian statue of the condottiere (leader of military detachments) of the Venetian Republic Gattamelata. Currently this sculpture is located in front of the Church of St. Antonia. Since the times of the ancient Romans, not a single similar statue has been cast in Italy.

Donatello resurrected portrait busts, which were loved by the Greeks and Romans but forgotten in the Middle Ages. His images of children were especially successful; they are very individual.

Donatello "Allegorical figure of a boy" (1430). Bronze. National Bargello Museum (Florence)

Donatello "Flying Boy with Fish"
In the sacristy of the Church of St. Lawrence in Florence there are bas-relief medallions depicting the evangelists, as well as scenes from the life of John the Baptist, full of drama.
Together with his student Michelozzo Michelozzi, Donatello created several tombstones in churches.

Donatello spent the last years of his life in Florence, working until he was very old. He worked in many cities: Florence, Pisa, Siena, Prato, Rome, Padua, Ferrara, Modena, Venice. The master died in 1466 and was buried with great honors in the Church of San Lorenzo, decorated with his works.

Church of San Lorenzo (Florence)
His works aroused admiration among his contemporaries, despite a certain uncompromisingness of the master - he did not pursue external beauty, did not indulge the tastes of the public, and did not strive to over-decorate his statues, so as not to deprive them of the freshness of the first plan. He always did as he saw fit.
The creativity of such masters is in demand at all times.

Donatello (full name Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi) is an Italian Renaissance sculptor, representative of the Florentine school. Years of life - 1386-1466.

Donatello, as the great artist and sculptor of the Florentine Renaissance is commonly called, was born in the vicinity of Florence in 1386. His father, the wealthy wool carder Niccolo di Betto Bardi, could have educated his son. But the head of the family died when the boy was not yet fifteen years old.

At first, Donatello, forced to earn a living by his own labor, was apprenticed to a jeweler and worked as an apprentice in a small town in the suburbs of Florence. Beginning in 1403, for four years, the future great sculptor worked in the foundry of Bicci di Lorenzo, mastering the technique of bronze casting, which marked the beginning of his brilliant biography.

The young man's tuition was paid for by a wealthy patron and philanthropist, the Florentine banker Martelli, who was fond of high art. Lorenzo Ghiberti became the teacher of Donatello and his peer Filippo Brunelleschi, who later became a famous architect. These two remained the sculptor’s best friends for life, and their paths crossed more than once after graduation.

Creation

In 1404, both aspiring sculptors, Brunelleschi and Donatello, went to Rome to complete their studies. Soon after returning to Florence, the young sculptor creates his first works - a high relief depicting the Annunciation and the first statue of David in marble. This sculpture still has strong echoes of Gothic traditions, but it is valuable because it is considered the first reliable work of the sculptor that has survived to this day.

Statue of Donatello "Marble David" and bas-relief "Annunciation"

In subsequent years, the sculptor worked on orders from the city, creating sculptures and bas-reliefs for various public buildings and religious buildings. Thus, for the facade of the Orsanmichele Church, built with donations from parishioners as a token of gratitude for deliverance from the plague, Donatello created sculptural images of a seated John the Evangelist and a standing Saint Mark.

In 1415-1416, the sculptor worked on a statue of St. George, intended for the same cathedral. In the figure of St. George the Victorious one can already clearly discern distinct features of realism, graceful proportions of the figure, a clear celebration of the beauty of the human body in the proud posture and face of the young man shining with courage. These features of Donatello's work are associated with his passion for ancient art and the skill of ancient Greek and Roman masters.

Statue of Donatello "St. George"

Traditionally, it was customary to depict George on horseback, with a spear in his hands, most often at the moment when a brave warrior pierces the dragon or snake with which he was fighting. Donatello depicts the young and beautiful saint in a moment of calm and awareness of his own victory, standing, leaning on his shield and confidently looking forward.

In the period from 1416 to 1432, the sculptor worked on orders from the city, creating one after another statues of the prophets. In the early works of the master, late Gothic traditions are still clearly visible: static figures, dense folds of clothing hiding bodies, typical, expressionless facial features.

Donatello "Prophets" statues

With each subsequent statue, Donatello gets closer and closer to the realism of antiquity and the late Renaissance; real people seem to appear through the marble, and not biblical legends and canonical types. Already in the features of St. George, portraiture and individuality slip through, and further works become even more plastic, the figures and poses are more natural, the folds of clothing fit the body, echoing their curves and movements.

Donatello's next masterpiece was the tombstone for the tomb of Pope John XXIII. In collaboration with the architect Bartolommeo di Michelozzo, he created a kind of model for the further design of the burials of leading Catholic clergy. The recumbent figure of the pope belongs to Donatello's carver, and Michelozzo worked on the tomb.

In 1420, the artist returned to the technique of bronze casting, which he had perfectly mastered during his apprenticeship. From 1422 to 1429, Donatello created several bronze masterpieces, which marked the beginning of a whole movement in Renaissance sculptor. He worked on large statues and small figures, including for the Baptistery in Sienna.

The pinnacle of Donatello's creativity using bronze casting technique is considered to be the second statue of David he cast in 1430-1432. The conqueror of Goliath is depicted in the prime of youth and glory. A young man in a shepherd’s hat, completely naked, stands with his foot on the head of the fallen giant. The revolutionary nature of Donatello's masterpiece lies in the fact that David became the first free-standing nude image designed for all-round viewing since antiquity.

David once stood on a column in the courtyard of the Palazzo Medici in Florence, then, after the overthrow of the Medici, he was moved to the courtyard of the Signoria. Donatello's masterpiece became a kind of symbol of Florence's struggle for independence, and today it can be seen in the Bargello Museum.

Bronze statue of Donatello "David"

In addition to statues, the sculptor also worked with bas-reliefs, radically changing existing traditions and techniques. In an effort to give the image realism, Donatello carefully carved out the foreground figures, giving them volume and plasticity, and made the background characters graphic, “flattened.” The master achieved depth to the picturesque reliefs using an architectural technique, bringing the lines to one point on the “horizon”.

In 1432-1433, Donatello again traveled to Rome, where he met his friend, the Roman Brunelleschi, and began to study ancient masterpieces of architecture and sculpture. The result was the master’s subsequent works, in which the classics of antiquity were revealed, expressed in simple lines, realistic figures, portraits, clear faces with clear individual features.

Personal life

Almost nothing is known about the master’s personal life, but historians have preserved the details of the creative biography of Donatello, who is considered the founder of the Renaissance traditions in sculpture.

The skill of the mature Florentine was manifested in the reliefs he created in the 40s: “The Vision of John on the Island of Patmos”, “The Resurrection of Drusiana”, “Release from a Cauldron of Boiling Oil” and “The Ascension to Heaven”.

Relief of Donatello's Ascension into Heaven

In the compositions, instead of calm and static, movement, drama, aggravation of the psychological characteristics of the characters and the depth of the images appeared.

In 1443, Donatello went to Padua, where four years later he cast an equestrian statue of Erasmo de Narni, the Venetian condottiere nicknamed Gattamelata. The rider and horse, standing at the intersection of streets, are combined into a harmonious composition, emphasized by the diagonal formed by the knight’s sword and staff.

Statue of Donatello "Erasmo de Narni"

Upon returning from Padua, where several more wonderful reliefs and a church altar emerged from under the master’s chisel, Donatello no longer worked so hard and productively. Beginning in 1453, he lived in his native Florence and, apparently, was seriously ill. Thoughts about death, illness, suffering, and the futility of earthly existence are reflected in the works of the master of the late period.

Death

Some art historians call the last period of Donatello's work decadent, a return to Gothic traditions, and talk about the predominance of spiritual expression, breakdown, and tragedy to the detriment of the realism of classical sculpture.

Statue of Donatello "Mary Magdalene"

Among the sculptor’s latest works, the bronze group “Judith and Holofernes”, created around 1456, and the wooden statue of Mary Magdalene, complete with dramatic damage, stand out. The saint was always depicted young, in society, grieving over his death or rejoicing at the Ascension of the Lord. Donatello created the image of Mary in her old age, showing her tired and exhausted. Magdalene is a tormented woman, an ascetic recluse, emaciated, thin, with sunken eyes and a sad expression on her face.

The great sculptor died in 1466, leaving his descendants with many magnificent masterpieces.

Works

• tomb of John XXIII;
• marble statue of David;
• bronze statue of David;
• statue of Mark the Evangelist;
• statue of the Evangelist John;
• equestrian statue of Gattamelata;
• bronze dancing Atis;
• Madonna and Child with Saints Francis and Anthony (bronze);
• Mary Magdalene (tree);
• Prophet Habakkuk;
• Saint George;
• Saint Rossore Reliquary;
• Judith and Olfern.