By Anne Leader
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, known as Donatello, died on 13 December 1466 in Florence. Widely recognized as one of the most innovative artists of the Renaissance, Donatello worked in marble, bronze, and terra-cotta. Donatello was the first to use one-point linear perspective, invented by his friend Filippo Brunelleschi, in his relief depicting St. George and the Dragon carved for his niche at Orsanmichele. Donatello also created sculpture for Florence Cathedral, the Baptistery of Siena, and the Santo in Padua. He worked for the Medici and other private patrons, and at his death he was celebrated as a master of naturalism an an equal to the greats of antiquity.
Reference: Charles Avery and Sarah Blake McHam. “Donatello.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press.
David, bronze (Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello); Photo credit: Nimatallah/Art Resource, NY
St George, marble, c. 1414, formerly Orsanmichele (Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello); photo credit: Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
St Mary Magdalene, polychrome and gilt wood, c. 1456–60 (Florence, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo); photo credit: Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
Feast of Herod, gilt bronze relief, 1423–5, detail from the baptistery font (Siena Cathedral); Photo credit: Scala/Art Resource, NY
Cantoria, marble, 1433–9 (Florence, Museo dell’Opere del Duomo); Photo credit: Scala/Art Resource, NY
Equestrian monument to Gattamelata, bronze on marble and stone base, h. 3.4 m, 1447–53 (Padua, Piazza del Santo); Photo credit: Scala/Art Resource, NY