Will the real Donatello please stand up?
Country Life UK|February 08, 2023
Sometimes obstreperous, coarse and tricky, Donatello-or Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi-was so outrageously talented he could create ingenious figures in marble, bronze, terracotta or wood, observes Susan Jenkins
Will the real Donatello please stand up?

THE revolutionary Florentine artist Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, otherwise known as Donatello, is popularly considered to be the greatest Italian Renaissance sculptor of all time. He invented techniques that set sculptural practice on a new path and influenced his successors, including the peerless Michelangelo. His interest in portraiture saw him create empathetic figures based on careful observation of antique Roman statues. He introduced the use of low-relief 'flattened' carving (rilievo schiacciato), allowing him to achieve greater drama and apparent depth in his work. And he designed beautiful works of art in multiple materials, including marble, bronze, terracotta and wood. To him we owe the creation of the first freestanding nude male statue since antiquity-the extraordinary bronze David, alive with contrapposto.

Donatello's success was hard won. He was a working-class artist whose father, Niccolò, originally a wool carder, was briefly exiled from Florence for his revolutionary politics and for committing murder during a street brawl. Unlike his contemporaries, he was proud of his humble origins and rejected the trappings of success, refusing to pander to his patrons. Although his strong personality contributed to the power and imagination of his sculpture, contemporaries described him as 'rough and very straightforward' and he was known for his coarse language and neglect of his appearance. An unsatisfied patron, Duke Ludovico Gonzaga of Mantua, complained that the sculptor was 'very tricky' and inflexible, adding that once 'he had a mind made up in such a way that if he does not come, one cannot entertain any hope of it, even if one pesters him'.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM COUNTRY LIFE UKView all
Tales as old as time
Country Life UK

Tales as old as time

By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth

time-read
2 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Do the active farmer test
Country Life UK

Do the active farmer test

Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Country Life UK

Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin

Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts

time-read
2 mins  |
November 13, 2024
SOS: save our wild salmon
Country Life UK

SOS: save our wild salmon

Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Into the deep
Country Life UK

Into the deep

Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
It's alive!
Country Life UK

It's alive!

Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
There's orange gold in them thar fields
Country Life UK

There's orange gold in them thar fields

A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
True blues
Country Life UK

True blues

I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Oh so hip
Country Life UK

Oh so hip

Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
A best kept secret
Country Life UK

A best kept secret

Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024