![]() In 1443, Donatello was offered a prestigious and essential commission in Padua, to create an equestrian statue for condottiere Erasmo da Narmi, known by the name Gattamelata. Documents show that the statue was placed at the center of the Medici Palace courtyard in 1496. 1440), the first large scale free-standing nude statue of the Renaissance. In this period, he also created the bronze statue of David (ca. This commission included ten large reliefs in colored stucco and two sets of small bronze doors. One of Donatello’s long-standing relationships was with the Medici family: from 1433 to 1443, he made decorations for San Lorenzo, the Medici Church. By adding architectural elements to the composition, Donatello demonstrated his knowledge and command of a linear perspective. The figures in the relief express intense emotional responses that help build up the tension of the dramatic scene. The relief portrays the dramatic moment in which Herod is stunned by the severed head of Saint John the Baptist. One of his early independent commissions was his first bronze relief, The Feast of Herod (1427), which was created for the baptistery of San Giovanni in the Siena Cathedral. Many of Donatello’s greatest masterpieces were done in bronze. The statue, nicknamed ‘ zuccone’ (pumpkin) because of the figure’s bald head, stood out for its realistic style and highly individualistic facial features. Between 14, Donatello worked on five prophet statues, out of which the most well-known is Zuccone (Statue of the Prophet Habakkuk) (1425). In its new surrounding, the statue became a patriotic symbol: David’s triumph over Goliath represented the triumph of Florence over its enemies. The marble David was originally intended for a cathedral, but in 1416 it was moved to Florence’s city hall, Palazzo Vecchio. The traces of Gothic style in his early works, like the marble statue of David (1408-1409), can be attributed to Ghiberti’s influence. From 1404 to 1407, Donatello was part of the workshop of sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti. The artist learned stone carving from one of the sculptors who worked for the Florence Cathedral around 1400. Donatello, a master sculptor, was one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance.
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