Donatellosculptor of the Renaissance

by Harry Harnett

Early CareerDonatello started practicing sculpting at the age of 20 and was an apprentice of Lorenzo Ghiberti's (a famous metal worker and sculptor) shop. He learned his bronze expertise from Lorenzo Ghiberti. Although he worked for Lorenzo, he mainly worked and made many of his masterpieces at his shop in Florence. One statue made by Donatello in this part of his career is a of Saint Mark.

Middle CareerDonatello became a humanist and studied Roman ruins in these years. After Donatello’s apprenticeship with Lorenzo, Donatello worked for Cosimo de'Medici. While working under Cosimo, Donatello made the tomb of pope Baldassare Coosa, bronze statues of St. George, Gattamelata, and Judith and Holofernes.

Late Career

In Donatello’s later career, he show a better grasp of the classic arts. One of his masterpieces made in Florence was his bronze statue of a young boy named David. What is most noticed about this statue is the posture, that gives the statue a youthful energy, and the Gothic style of David.

Mary MagdaleneIn Donatello’s later years, he carved an ugly Mary Magdalen from a piece of wood. It was carved for the Baptistery in Florence.

David

David was one of Donatello’s masterpieces. It is one of the earliest freestanding nude statues.

Agony in the Garden

In this sculpture it shows Jesus and his disciples. One question asked about this sculpture is why does Jesus not have a halo, and his disciples do.

Gattamelata

The statue “Gattamelata” is one of the best proportioned statues ever made.

Judith and Holoferness

This statue was made at the end of Donatello’s career. The statue shows the assassination of Assyrian general Holoferness by Judith.

Donatello’s Contributions

One of Donatello’s contributions was the shallow relief technique. The shallow relief technique makes the sculpture seem deep but is actually done on a very shallow plane. Donatello used a Gothic style. Donatello’s style gave his statues an expressive ugliness that gave them a life of their own. He also made some of the first bronze sculptures. These were the stepping stones for sculptors to use other materials. Donatello was one of the greatest sculptors of his time and has made an impact on sculpting today.