Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi
About the Artist
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi was born in Florence, and is better known to the art world as Donatello. He is known for his various Renaissance sculptures, primarily using bronze, clay, marble, and wood. Although he has completed a variety of large-scale sculptures, including his statue of David (1425-1430) and his Judith and Holofernes (1455-1460), Donatello is more known for his bas-relief sculptures (pronounced bah-relief). These are flat panels, typically of bronze or marble that are carved extremely delicately and intricately. The carvings barely come off the surface of the panel, but the artwork shows incredible detail and depth because of the way the light reflects off the detailed carvings. Donatello's most famous bas-relief sculpture is his Feast of Herod (1425). It is noted that his Feast of Herod shows layers upon layers of carvings, making some figures and objects within the panel to appear closer or further away from the viewer depending on how detailed the sculpture and how the light reflects off the bronze material.
About the Movement
Donatello worked in the Renaissance Age of art. The Renaissance Age was a time, mostly known throughout Europe, that occurred during the 14th and 17th Centuries (or between the 1300s and 1600s). It lies between the Middle Ages and the Baroque Age. Literally meaning "rebirth", the Renaissance was a rebirth of Classical antiquity, allowing artists, writers, poets, scholars, scientists, and philosophers to study and pay homage to their ancient ancestors. During this time, artists were known for painting and sculpting works of Greco-Roman mythology or narratives from the Bible that showcased both cultural themes as well as themes of Christianity. Some of the most famous Renaissance artists included Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Tiziano Vecello (better known as Titian).
Fun Fact: Donatello invented his own form of extremely-subtle bas-relief sculpture, known as schiacciato (pronounced ski-ah-cha-to).
Resources: Samuel Edgerton, The Mirror, the Window, and the Telescope: How Renaissance Linear Perspective Changed our Vision of the Universe, (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2009), 120.
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi was born in Florence, and is better known to the art world as Donatello. He is known for his various Renaissance sculptures, primarily using bronze, clay, marble, and wood. Although he has completed a variety of large-scale sculptures, including his statue of David (1425-1430) and his Judith and Holofernes (1455-1460), Donatello is more known for his bas-relief sculptures (pronounced bah-relief). These are flat panels, typically of bronze or marble that are carved extremely delicately and intricately. The carvings barely come off the surface of the panel, but the artwork shows incredible detail and depth because of the way the light reflects off the detailed carvings. Donatello's most famous bas-relief sculpture is his Feast of Herod (1425). It is noted that his Feast of Herod shows layers upon layers of carvings, making some figures and objects within the panel to appear closer or further away from the viewer depending on how detailed the sculpture and how the light reflects off the bronze material.
About the Movement
Donatello worked in the Renaissance Age of art. The Renaissance Age was a time, mostly known throughout Europe, that occurred during the 14th and 17th Centuries (or between the 1300s and 1600s). It lies between the Middle Ages and the Baroque Age. Literally meaning "rebirth", the Renaissance was a rebirth of Classical antiquity, allowing artists, writers, poets, scholars, scientists, and philosophers to study and pay homage to their ancient ancestors. During this time, artists were known for painting and sculpting works of Greco-Roman mythology or narratives from the Bible that showcased both cultural themes as well as themes of Christianity. Some of the most famous Renaissance artists included Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael Sanzio, and Tiziano Vecello (better known as Titian).
Fun Fact: Donatello invented his own form of extremely-subtle bas-relief sculpture, known as schiacciato (pronounced ski-ah-cha-to).
Resources: Samuel Edgerton, The Mirror, the Window, and the Telescope: How Renaissance Linear Perspective Changed our Vision of the Universe, (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2009), 120.
Artworks found in the Château: