Donatello was one of greatest Italian Renaissance artists, noted especially for his sculptures in marble, bronze, and wood. His sculpted figures were some of the first since antiquity to represent anatomy correctly—though some late works were slightly exaggerated—and to suggest a sense of individuality. Donatello was a very prolific sculptor whose works included: St. Mark and St. George c. Mary Magdalene c. Donatello never married or had children. It is not known how Donatello began his career, but he probably learned stone carving from one of the sculptors working on the cathedral of Florence the Duomo about
1386 - Dec 13, 1466
The founder of Italian Renaissance Sculpture and his work in Tuscany
Find the experience that's right for you. Find places to sleep during your trip. Born in Florence in , he invented the rilievo schiacciato technique and created the first known free-standing nude statue produced since ancient times. Donatello was born in most likely in Florence. His initial training was as a goldsmith, where he apprenticed with Lorenzo Ghiberti , goldsmith and sculptor. These works can be found at the Orsanmichele museum upstairs , the Bargello Museum , and the Opera del Duomo museum see below.
Quick Facts
Born in Florence , he studied classical sculpture and used this to develop a complete Renaissance style in sculpture, whose periods in Rome, Padua and Siena introduced to other parts of Italy a long and productive career. He worked with stone, bronze, wood, clay, stucco and wax, and had several assistants, with four perhaps being a typical number. Though his best-known works were mostly statues in the round, he developed a new, very shallow, type of bas-relief for small works, and a good deal of his output was larger architectural reliefs.
Second only to Michelangelo in terms of skill and sheer greatness, Florentine sculptor Donatello left an indelible mark on the Renaissance and the future of art itself. Donatello shot to fame early on as an apprentice to Lorenzo Ghiberti and eventually became one of the most sought-after artists in Italy for his life-like, highly emotional sculptures. Donatello first received training at a goldsmith's shop and then with Ghiberti.
