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Donatello (catalogue of works)

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The Sala di Donatello of the Bargello in Florence, the museum with the largest and best collection of Donatello's work

The following catalog of works by the Florentine sculptor Donatello (born around 1386 in Florence; died on December 13, 1466, in Florence) is based on the monographs by H. W. Janson (1957), Ronald Lightbown (1980), and John Pope-Hennessy (1996), as well as the catalogs of the 2022/2023 exhibitions in Florence, Berlin and London.[1] In the case of unsigned or documented works, the attributions and dates are, as is usual, based predominantly on stylistic criteria and analogies to secured works. Many of the works attributed to Donatello were created in collaboration with other artists and with specialists in specific techniques.

About the table

The table is designed to be sorted in the best logical way possible, so that it can be used productively for searches, statistics and analysis (with many compromises; see below. The sorting function will also be available in the app sometime). Technical terms, places, etc., are only linked once at first appearance.

Subject/Name

First of all, it must be said that almost none of Donatello's works at the time had an individual name or title (just as only a few were signed; sometimes they have inscriptions that were added later, as with the Campanile figures). In addition to the Habakkuk, which was quickly nicknamed Zuccone because of the figure's pumpkin-shaped head, the late Judith and the Dovizia on the main market square (today's Piazza della Repubblica) in Florence, which were unique at the time, to clearly identify a work, the addition of the place (or commissioner) and (if it was known) the artist's name was needed. Donatello's two statues of David are similarly exceptional cases; both were generally known to be the work of Donatello, but for the second, the bronze David for the Medici, it was necessary to differentiate by adding the location, the client or the material. Almost all the other sculptures were figures of Christ, the Madonna and the saints, which were ubiquitous subjects and comprised the entire iconographical canon of what could be represented up to that point.

The bronze David, the Pazzi Madonna and the Cavalcanti Annunciation are all so-called Notnamen, short names that have been created over time by art historians since the 19th century, which have become established (with variants) and, particularly in the case of popular works, have become established in general through art literature and cultural and travel guides. A very special case in this regard is the so-called Amor-Attis, Amor-At(t)ys and vice versa, or also Atys-Amorino, as Janson described it in his monograph, which is still fundamental to this day; the figure remains a mystery with its ambiguous ancient attributes. Another persistent enigma is of course the bronze David.

Perhaps contrary to expectations, in the table these Notnamen under "Subject/Name" follow (in italics) after a general descriptive name of the object (e.g. "Lion..., (Marzocco)"), so that all prophet figures, for example, or the five John the Baptists can be brought together. Likewise, all Madonnas with the Christ Child are referred to as "Madonna and Child" so that they can be compared; the Pazzi Madonna, for example, can be found as "Madonna and Child (Pazzi Madonna)".

Donatello's documented collaborators and assistants are then named in small boldface, followed by uncertain attributions, dates or functions in small, bold and italic, which is a reference to missing documentation. Separating the largely undisputed works attributed to Donatello from those secured by documents or omitting them entirely would not allow an overall view of his oeuvre, to approximate the assumed simultaneous work on different genres and their chronological progression.

Form

Under "Form" statues can be separated from works in relief, although simultaneously all, e.g., niche figures can also be brought together.

Materials

Donatello worked with a wide variety of materials, most often in innovative ways. In his time and also due to Donatello, in addition to marble, the complex and expensive bronze and cheap, easy-to-handle fired clay (terracotta) became the essential materials. The stone used is almost exclusively white marble, especially for the early statues of the Cathedral of Florence, the works in rilievo stiacciato (shallow relief), the tombs and the two pulpits from the 1430s. Techniques for bronze had almost been lost; their revival is associated above all with Lorenzo Ghiberti, in his doors for the Florence Baptistery and the statues for Orsanmichele,[a][b] for which Donatello then made his first bronze figure, the Saint Louis of Toulouse (1418–1422).

The main material used for the main object of a work is always mentioned first, then its treatment and secondary materials (as in the "Saint Louis of Toulouse with niche", first "bronze, fire-gilt", then silver, enamel and rock crystal for the decoration of the bishop's crosier, and finally the marble for the niche in which the figure originally stood, which was also created by Donatello).

Dimensions

In the 15th century there was a locally applicable ell (or arm length) which could range between around 50 and 75 cm. The size of a sculpture may have been specified as such in contracts or described in sources. In Donatello's case, the Florentine braccio (Italian "arm") of 58.3 cm was used for the most part.

If the measurements of a work are not given in the table as height × width × depth (in centimeters), at minimum the height of a figure or the diameter (d) of a tondo will be given, if that was all that could be found in the literature.

Dating

When it comes to dating the work, a compromise had to be made in that the initial dates are decisive here. This means that for documented objects it is often the date of the (first) written commission or the decision to do so. However, as is often the case (at this time) and not only for Donatello, the completion of a work or even the beginning lay sometimes years in the future. The specified time period does not therefore mean the actual time that Donatello spent on a work. Especially since, even at the other end (that is, after Donatello had completed a sculpture), a considerable amount of time could pass before it was (as is often the case) primed and colored and also gilded by painters. The installation on site did not have to happen immediately, so such information in documents does not necessarily indicate the time at which the sculpture was finished.

The priority of the starting date ignores the fact that during the period of often non-continuous work on a work, the understanding, the general knowledge of the classical model, with which Donatello continuously dealt, as well as the access to a specific task could change. This means that during the work process a stylistic change could take place that was not foreseeable at the beginning, or technical difficulties (or other circumstances) could arise that had to be solved and perhaps lead to a different result from what was originally planned.

Examples here include the early works, especially the marble David, the possible reworkings of which have been the subject of much speculation.[4] Is the composition of the Saint Louis of Toulouse in several parts, rather than cast in one piece, as Ghiberti had done, due to Donatello's deficiencies in the knowledge of bronze casting, or was this based on a practical consideration regarding fire gilding or perhaps the complexity of the folds? The question of its open back (original or removed for Santa Croce?) will continue to concern art historians.

Locations

The locations always start with the city, then the building in or on which the work was or is located. Under original location there is also information that names the client or clients or allows conclusions to be drawn about them. An (early) relocation of a work is also noted (e.g., with both David figures). Today's location indicates in part the inventory number of the object ("Inv. xy") if it is part of a museum collection, if possible with a link to the institution's online catalog where – as with the Berlin collection – good images can be found, a detailed description and documentation, as well as a bibliography.

About the second table

Important here are the controversial works, which have always been close to the discussion about Donatello's œuvre, but which have been rejected from the catalogs of works that can be considered secure. Particularly worth mentioning here are the portrait bust of Niccolò da Uzzano, the Saint Peter at Orsanmichele and the Hildburgh Madonna and its derivatives.

Furthermore, the nature of the second table means that it cannot be complete. As far as casts and variants of mostly smaller to minute works are concerned, there may be a huge number scattered throughout museums and private collections that have received undocumented attributions based solely on stylistic similarities or technical details. This also applies to works based on Donatello's designs since the supposed designs no longer exist. The heraldic shields in particular, often with Donatello's trademark, the spiritelli, are probably all workshop products at best. Due to the lack of sources, there is no section for original location here, but one for the attribution appears as second column.

All of the works listed in the second table may be considered examples, with an obvious emphasis on works from the Skulpturensammlung in the Bode Museum, Berlin, for historical and practical reasons. On the one hand, the early Italian Renaissance and Donatello in particular have been the focus of collecting activities and research since the end of the 19th century, especially of Wilhelm von Bode, which was then essentially continued to this day. This is reflected in today's online catalog, wherein most of the works are excellently documented.[5] This is also a reason for selecting the pieces from other museums, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which was similarly engaged as Berlin, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and of course the museums in Florence itself, Donatello's birthplace and the center of his professional life.[6]

Catalogue of works

Image Subject/Name Form Material Dimensions (in cm) Dating Original location Current location
Prophet statue marble 128 1406 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, Porta della Mandorla Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
Christ as the Man of Sorrows relief marble 1407–1408 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, Porta della Mandorla Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. Copy on original site
Crucifix statue (demountable, with retractable arms) wood, gesso primer, painted 170 × 166 × 35 1407–1408 Florence, Santa Croce, north transept Florence, Santa Croce, Cappella Bardi di Vernio
Creation of Eve, Damnation of Eve and Adam, Expulsion from Eden, The Labour of Adam and Eve
– function, attribution and date arguable[7]		 reliefs (4), octagonal, probably for a hope chest (cassone) terracotta, lead-glazed, partly gilded 1408 c. 1408 unknown London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. ? 3) and one in Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
David (with the head of Goliath; marble David) statue marble, originally with cord of the sling 191.5 × 78.5 × 42 1408–1409, 1416 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, planned for north tribune; Palazzo della Signoria, Sala dei Gigli (1416) Florence, Bargello (since 1781, Inv. Sc. 2)
Saint John the Evangelist statue in niche, sitting marble 210 1408–1415[8] Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, façade Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
Prophet Joshua statue terracotta, stucco, white-washed 0550 c. 550 1409–1412 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, north tribune deteriorated, not preserved
Madonna and Child statue terracotta, gesso primer, painted 1410–1412 unknown Empoli, Pontorme, San Martino
Saint Mark statue in niche marble 236 × 74 (with base) 1411–1413[9] Florence, Orsanmichele, niche of the Arte dei Linaioli e Rigattieri (Guild of linen manufacturers and retail cloth dealers) Florence, Orsanmichele, Museum. Copy at original site
Madonna and Child
– attribution and date arguable		 statue, sitting terracotta, originally primed and painted 73 × 45.3 × 36.5 1414 c. 1414 unknown London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. 7573-1861)
Madonna and Child
– attribution and date arguable		 statue, sitting terracotta, gesso primer, painted 68.6 × 37.8 × 38.1
38.1 kg		 1414 c. 1414 unknown Detroit, Institute of Arts (Inv. 40.19)
Madonna and Child (Huldschinsky Madonna)
– attribution and date arguable		 statue, half figure terracotta, originally primed and painted 90 × 75 × 24 1415 c. 1415 unknown Berlin, Bode Museum (formerly Kaiser Friedrich Museum), Sculpture Collection and Museum of Byzantine Art (since 1892, Inv. 1940)
Saint George and statue in niche with low reliefs marble, probably at times with lance or sword and helmet (metal) 204 × 78 × 34
base relief: 39 × 120		 1415–1417 c. 1415–1417 Florence, Orsanmichele, north side, niche of the Arte dei Corazzai e Spadai (Guild of the armourers and swordsmiths) Florence, Bargello (in copied niche). Copy at original site
Madonna and Child with Two Angels tabernacle, relief terracotta, originally primed and painted 96.5 × 67.5 × 13.5 1415–1420 c. 1415–1420 unknown Prato, Museo di Palazzo Pretorio (since 1871, Inv. 1876)
Prophets:
  • Beardless Prophet
  • Bearded Prophet
(Profeta pensieroso)
 statues in niches (first two of six) marble 190 × 59 × 43,
193 × 64 × 44 (incl. plinth)		 1416–1418 and 1418–1420 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, Campanile (all four on north side were moved to the east side in 1464)[10] Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (copies on east site)[11]
Lion with coat of arms of Florence (Marzocco) statue on column sandstone (macigno), marble, rosso di Maremma 135.5 × 38 × 60 1418–1420 Florence, Santa Maria Novella, stairs to papal chambers Florence, Bargello
Saint John the Baptist
with Nanni di Bartolo, revised unfinished Joshua by Bernardo Ciuffagni[12]		 statue in niche (third of six) marble 207 × 65 × 44 1420–1421 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, Campanile Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (copy on original site)[13]
Saint Louis of Toulouse with niche
perhaps with Michelozzo di Bartolommeo		 statue and architecture of aedicula bronze, fire-gilded (ormolu), silver, enamel, rock crystal and marble 285 × 101 × 78 1418–1422 c. 1418–1422 Florence, Orsanmichele, east side, niche of the Parte Guelfa, moved c. 1440s–1450s to niche above portal of Santa Croce; since 1483 Verrocchio's Doubting Thomas has occupied the original niche Florence, Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce
Madonna and Child (Madonna of the Cords)
– attribution and date arguable		 relief terracotta, gesso primer, painted 89 × 64 × 28 1420–1423 c. 1420–1423 unknown Florence, Museo Civici Fiorentini – Museo Stefano Bardini (Inv. MCF-MB 1922-682)
Flagellation of Christ
– function, attribution and date arguable		 relief, low marble 46.5 × 57.5 × 5 1420–1425 c. 1420–1425 unknown Moscow, Pushkin Museum, 1893–1945 in Berlin, Kaiser Friedrich Museum (henceforth solely as plaster cast)
Abraham and Isaac
with Nanni di Bartolo		 statue in niche (fourth of six) marble 188 × 56 × 45 1421 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, Campanile Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (copy on east side of Campanile)
Tomb of Antipope John XXIII: tomb effigy. base, statues of virtues, sarcophagus, lunette with Madonna and Child, baldachin
with Michelozzo and Pagno di Lapo Portigiani		 Tomb effigy, architecture, relief marble, partly painted and gilded, bronze, fire-gilded 213 (length of effigy) 1421–1427 c. 1421–1427 Florence, Baptistery Florence, Baptistery
Prophet and Sibyl[14] relief, profile busts marble 64, each 1422 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, Porta della Mandorla Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, Porta della Mandorla
Madonna and Child (Pazzi Madonna) relief, low marble 74.5 × 73 × 6.5 1422 c. 1422 unknown; thought to have been owned by the Pazzi family Berlin, Bode Museum (since 1886, Inv. 51)
Reliquary Bust of Saint Rossore (= Saint Luxorius)[15][16] bust, reliquary with lit and halo (lost) bronze, fire-gilded 55 × 58 × 42 1422–1425 c. 1422–1425 Florence, Ognissanti, since 1591 in Pisa, Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri[17] Pisa, Museo nazionale di San Matteo (since 1977)
Prophet Jeremiah statue in niche (fifth of six) marble 191 × 45 × 45 1423 c. 1423 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, west side of Campanile Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (copy on original site)
Saint John the Baptist[18] statue bronze, patinated 90.5 × 36.5 × 30 1423–24 Orvieto, Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, baptismal font
– uncertain		 Moscow, Pushkin Museum, 1878 from Palazzo Strozzi until 1945 in Berlin, Kaiser Friedrich Museum (henceforth solely as plaster cast)
Feast of Herod relief (one on the hexagonal parapet) bronze, fire-gilded 60 × 61 1423–1427 Siena, Baptistery, baptismal font Siena, Baptistery
Madonna and Child with Four Angels (Madonna of the Clouds) relief marble 34 × 32.1 × 2.8 1425–1430 c. 1425–1430 Florence, Palazzo vecchio di Medici, guardaroba of Cosimo (died 1464); afterwards in possession of Piero del Pugliese Boston, Museum of Fine Arts (Inv. 17.1470)
Prophet Habakkuk (Zuccone) statue in niche (last of six) marble 195 × 54 × 38 1426 – c. 1427 and 1435–1436 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, Campanile Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (copy on west side of the Campanile)
Tomb of Cardinal Rainaldo Brancacci: Annunciation relief
all other design and execution by Michelozzo (and workshop) 		relief, low; tomb monument with statues and reliefs, partly painted and gilded marble 74 × 78 (relief) 1426–1428 Naples, Sant'Angelo a Nilo Naples, Sant'Angelo a Nilo
Faith and Hope statuettes, two (of six) corner figures bronze, fire-gilded 52, each 1427–1429 Siena, Baptistery, baptismal font Siena, Baptistery
Ascension with Christ Giving the Keys to Saint Peter relief, low marble 41 × 115 1428–1430 Florence; 1492 owned by Lorenzo de' Medici, then by the Salviati until after 1677[19] London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. 7629-1861)
Blood of the Redeemer relief marble 39.8 × 67 1429–1430 Siena (province), Torrita di Siena, Oratorio della Madonna delle Nevi Siena (province), Torrita di Siena, Chiesa delle Sante Flora e Lucilla
Spiritelli, making music with trumpet resp. tambourine statuettes bronze, fire-gilded 40 × 20 × 15.8
36.2 × 14.7 × 16.2		 1429 Siena, Baptistery, baptismal font Siena, Baptistery, baptismal font (with trumpet), Berlin, Bode Museum (Inv. 2653); a third perhaps in Florence, Bargello (Inv. )
links[20] Dovizia (on the Colonna dell'Abbondanza) statue on column sandstone (macigno) 1431 Florence, Mercato (vecchio), now Piazza della Repubblica deteriorated and destroyed in a fall in 1721 (replaced with a version by Giovanni Battista Foggini, itself now replaced by a copy)
Tomb slab for the papal secretary Giovanni Crivelli relief, low marble 235 × 88 1432 Rome, Santa Maria in Ara Coeli Rome, Santa Maria in Ara Coeli
Tabernacle (for the Eucharist) relief marble 225 × 120 1432 Rome, Apostolic Palace, Capella Parva Rome (Vatican), St. Peter's Basilica
Altar piece (Cavalcanti Annunciation) relief in tabernacle, group of six statuettes sandstone (macigno), painted white/gray with gilding
terracotta (spiritelli)		 419 1433–1435 c. 1433–1435 Florence, Santa Croce, for the Cavalcanti family chapel Florence, Santa Croce
Pulpit for organ or singers, Cantoria reliefs of triforium on corbels and columns marble, mosaic, bronze 348 × 570 1433–1439 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
Coronation of the Virgin (design)[21] leadlight, oculus cartoon 0380 c. 380 1434–1437 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, eastern arch of the crossing (above the choir) Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore
Pulpit of the Holy Girdle

in part by workshop

by Michelozzo[22]

  • Architecture

planned with Michelozzo, executed by workshop (Pagno di Lapo Portigiani) and specialists on the spot

reliefs (seven) marble, mosaic (glass casting, glazed ceramic, formerly gilded tesserae) for parapet
bronze, fire-gilded (capital)		 77 × 86 × 12 (each relief)
94.5 × 143.5 × 50 (capital)		 1434–1438 (parapet, after new contract)
commission of 1428, cast of capital at the end of 1433		 Prato, Cathedral (then Pieve di Santo Stefano), southwest corner of façade Prato, Cathedral and Cathedral Museum (1976, Inv. AGJ2748, [...] and AGJ1829); copies on original site
Old Sacristy[23]
  • eight tondi with four scenes of the life of Saint John and the four Evangelists sitting at their desks
  • two lunettes with Saints Stephen and Lawrence (l), and Cosmas and Damian (r)
  • two doors with twenty pairs of arguing martyrs (l) and apostles (r), five on each leaf, architectural frames and
  • decoration on supports

architecture designed by Filippo Brunelleschi
– no documents; first source is Filarete, Trattato, 1460–1464

reliefs, architectural frames bronze (doors), painted stucco (tondi and lunettes), sandstone (macigno) 0215 c. 215 d (tondi without molding)
c. 215 × 180 (lunettes without frame)
235 × 109 (each door with ten reliefs of 36.5 × 33.5 l, 34.5 r, both 35 at bottom)		 1434–1443 Florence, San Lorenzo Florence, San Lorenzo
Feast of Herod relief, low marble 50 × 71.3 × 5 1435 c. 1435 unknown Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts (Inv. Pl 1912)
Madonna and Child (Goretti Miniati Madonna) relief marble 62.6 × 43.5; 5 (relief) 1435 c. 1435 unknown Florence, Bargello (Inv. Sc 470)
Dead Christ Tended by Angels (Imago Pietatis)
– function, attribution and date arguable		 relief, low marble 80.5 × 114.3 × 6 1435 c. 1435 unknown London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. 7577-1861)
David with Sword and Severed Head of Goliath (bronze David) statue on column (lost or as remains, original height over 2 m) bronze, partly fire-gilded
marble (attributed column remains)		 159 1435–1440 Florence, Casa Vecchia de' Medici, perhaps at first in the old Medici palace; after 1457 in the court of Palazzo Medici; 1495 in the court of Palazzo della Signoria Florence, Bargello
Spiritello (Amor-Attis) statue bronze, partly fire-gilded 103 × 55 × 45 1435–1440 c. 1435–1440 Florence Florence, Bargello (since 1778, Inv. Br. 448)
Spiritelli candle-holders (two) statuettes, candelabra bronze, gilding 58.5 × 42 × 28
65 × 32.5 × 22		 1436–1438 c. 1436–1438 Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, for organ pulpit by Luca della Robbia Paris, Institut de France, Musée Jacquemart-André (Inv. MJAP-S 1773-1 and 2)
Saint John the Baptist statue wood, gesso primer/stucco, painted and gilded 1438 Venice, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari Venice, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
Saint Lawrence
– attribution and date arguable		 half figure terracotta, formerly painted 74.5 × 62 1440 c. 1440 private ownership
Madonna and Child (Dudley Madonna) relief, low marble 27.2 × 16.5 × 2 1440 c. 1440 unknown London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. A.84-1927)
Madonna and Child (Piot Madonna) relief terracotta, wax, glass, formerly gilded 74 × 75 × 7 1440 c. 1440 unknown Paris, Louvre (since 1890, Inv. RF 3967)
Madonna and Child (Madonna of the Cherubs) relief with intarsia terracotta, gesso primer/stucco, painted and gilded 99.6 × 69.5 20 1440–1445 c. 1440–1445 unknown Berlin, Bode Museum (since 1888, Inv. 54)
Madonna and Child (Madonna dell'Umiltà Crowned by Two Angels) relief tondo, gilded (in tabernacle by Desiderio da Settignano or Andrea Verrocchio) bronze, fire-gilded 27 d
(87 × 51 × 12)		 1440–1445 c. 1440–1445
(tabernacle shortly after)		 unknown Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer (Inv. KK 7462)
Mary Magdalene (Penitent Magdalene) statue wood, gesso primer/stucco, painted and gilded 188 1440–1442 Florence, Baptistery Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
Crucifix statue on cross wood, gesso primer/stucco, painted 192 × 185 1440–1445 Padua, Santa Maria dei Servi Padua, Santa Maria dei Servi
Saint John the Baptist (San Giovannino Martelli)
– function, attribution and date arguable		 statue, in the round, with halo and rod with cross marble, gilded bronze 159.5 (165) × 46.5 × 36 1442 c. 1442 Florence, Casa Martelli Florence, Bargello (1913 from the Martelli family, Inv. Sc. 435)
Crucifix statue on cross bronze 176 × 170 × 41 1443/44–1448/49 Padua, Basilica di Sant'Antonio, rood screen Padua, Museo Antoniano
Madonna and Child relief, low terracotta, gesso primer/stucco, painted 102 × 74 × 12, 112 kg 1445–1455 c. 1445–1455 Val d'Elsa, Vigliano, San Lorenzo chapel Paris, Louvre (1881, Inv. RF 353)
High altar
  • Madonna and Child (Virgin and Child Enthroned) with relief of the Fall of Man on back of throne
  • six standing figures of Saints Francis, Louis of Toulouse, Prosdocimus, Anthony, Daniel and Justina
  • four reliefs with miracles of Saint Anthony
  • twelve reliefs with angels making music
  • Entombment of Christ
 statues (7) and 22 reliefs bronze, patinated, partly fire-gilded (statues and reliefs)
limestone (Entombment), white and colored marble (altar)		 123–164 (statues)
c. 57 × 123 or 57 (each relief)		 1446–1449 Padua, Basilica of Saint Anthony Padua, Basilica of Saint Anthony (19th-century reconstruction)[24]
Gattamelata Monument (Condottiere Erasmo da Narni) Equestrian statue on pedestal with two reliefs and inscription bronze, patinated
marble (reliefs and plinth)
sandstone (pedestal)		 1446–1453 c. 1446–1453 Padua, Piazza Sant'Antonio Padua, Piazza Sant'Antonio
Tomb slap of Giovanni Pecci (Bishop of Grosseto, died 1427) relief, low bronze, enamel inlays with glass, mostly lost 249.5 × 106.8 × 3 1448–1450 Siena, Cathedral, crossing, moved to Saint Ansanus chapel (under Pecci patronage) in the 16th century Siena, Cathedral, Saint Ansanus chapel
Flagellation of Christ and Crucifixion, predella frieze with spiritelli (Forzori Altar);
bozzetto		 relief, low, damaged terracotta 53.5 × 27.1 × 4.5 (Flagellation)
54.7 × 30.5 × 5 (Crucifixion)
11.2 × 48.5 × 2.3 (predella)		 1450 c. 1450 Florence, owned by Forzori family London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. 7619 1-3-1861)
Madonna and Child relief, low terracotta, gesso, painted 70 × 55 × 2 1450 c. 1450 unknown Paris, Louvre (1986, Inv. RF 744)
Calvary (Camondo Calvary)
– function, attribution and date arguable		 relief, low bronze, formerly partly gilded 42.8 × 28.7 × 4.5 1450–1452 unknown (private commission) Paris, Louvre (1897, Inv. OA 6477)
Madonna and Child with Four Angels (Chellini Madonna) relief tondo, low, reverse shows negative of relief usable to cast copies bronze, gilded 28.5 d, 2.7, 4.2 kg 1450–1455 Florence; gift of Donatello to his doctor Giovanni Chellini London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. A.I-1976)
Judith and Holofernes sculptural group on triangular pedestal with three reliefs bronze 236 1453–1457 Florence, Palazzo Medici, garden; after 1494 in the Loggia dei Lanzi on the Piazza della Signoria Florence, Palazzo Vecchio
Saint John the Baptist statue bronze 185 1455 c. 1455 Siena, Cathedral Siena, Cathedral
Bearded Head (Prophet?)
– function, attribution and date arguable		 bust bronze 37 × 23 × 27 1455 c. 1455 Florence Florence, Bargello (Inv. Br. 101)
Madonna and Child (Seggiolino Madonna) relief terracotta, gilded 74.3 × 55.9 1455 c. 1455 London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. 57:1&2-1867)
Calvary relief, low bronze, partly gilded, silver, gilded copper 93 × 70 × 3.5 1455–1465 Florence, private commission; from the 16th century owned by the Medici Florence, Bargello (Inv. Br. 443)
Horse's Head (Protome Carafa)
– function, attribution and date arguable		 protome, probably part of an equestrian statue not executed bronze 187 × 185 × 80 1456 Naples, Castel Nuovo, triumphal arch (planned, commission by Alfonso of Aragon, died 1458) Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Inv. 4887), from the Palazzo Carafa
Madonna and Child (Madonna del Perdono) relief marble, white and colored 91 × 88.2 1458 c. 1458 Siena, Cathedral, Vergine delle Grazie chapel Siena, Museo dell'Opera del'Duomo
Lamentation over the Dead Christ;
probably a bozzetto		 relief, chasing bronze 32.1 × 41.7 × 6.3 1458–1460 Siena; probably planned for the bronze doors of the Cathedral London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. 8552-1863)
Passion and Resurrection scenes completion by Bartolomeo Bellano, Bertoldo di Giovanni and others
– original function unclear		 reliefs (), mounted into a free-standing chancel in the 16th century bronze 123 × 292 1461–1466 Florence, San Lorenzo Florence, San Lorenzo

Arguable attributions, casts, variants and works after models by Donatello

Image Attribution Subject/Name Form Material Dimensions (in cm) Year Location
Donatello attributed[25] Madonna and Child relief terracotta, gesso primer/stucco, painted, wooden back 102.5 × 62.2 × 28.3 1410–1415 c. 1410–1415 Washington, National Gallery of Art, Samuel L. Kress Collection (Inv. 1943.4.93)
Nanni di Bartolo Madonna and Child statue terracotta, painted 47 × 35 × 10.5 1420 c. 1420 Berlin, Bode Museum (since 1913, Inv. M 7174)
Donatello workshop Madonna and Child with Four Angels (Hildburgh Madonna)
– function, attribution and date arguable		 relief, low marble 41.5 × 32.5 × 3.4 1420–1430 c. 1420–1430 London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. A.98-1956)
after Hildburgh Madonna attributed to Donatello Madonna and Child, Two Angels, Saint Bartholomew and a Crowned Saint tabernacle, relief stucco, gilded and painted 40.6 × 30.5 (relief)
76.2 × 38.1 × 7.5		 1420–1430 c. 1420–1430 London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. 93-1882)
Donatello attributed Nativity of Christ
(Ford Nativity)		 relief terracotta, formerly painted and gilded 47 × 35.6 × 8.3
(incl. frame:
82.6 × 48.3 × 8.3)		 1420–1430 c. 1420–1430 Detroit, Institute of Arts (Inv. F76.92)
Donatello attributed Madonna and Child
(Mellon Madonna)		 statue terracotta, painted and gilded 120.8 × 47.2 × 33.5 1422 c. 1422 Washington, National Gallery of Art, A. Mellon Collection (Inv. 1937.I.112)
after Donatello Madonna and Child in a niche relief, low bronze, gilded 20.5 × 15.5 × 1 1426–1430 c. 1426–1430 (prototype) Berlin, Bode Museum (Inv. 3044)[26]
after Donatello Madonna and Child in a niche relief, low bronze, gilded 20.4 × 15.3 × 8 1426–1430 c. 1426–1430 (prototype) Washington, National Gallery of Art, Samuel L. Kress Collection (Inv. 1957.14.131)
after Donatello Madonna and Child (Maria lactans) relief, low lead 11.3 × 9.3 1430 c. 1430 Berlin, Bode Museum (Inv. 1028)[27]
unknown, perhaps Michelozzo di Bartolomeo Madonna and Child before a niche relief, low, plaquette Copper alloy 9.8 × 7.8 1430 c. 1430 London, Wallace Collection (Inv. S299)[28]
perhaps workshop of Donatello and Michelozzo Spiritelli with Escutcheon relief, low sandstone (pietra serena?), probably originally painted 59.5 × 61 × 5 1432 c. 1432 Berlin, Bode Museum (since 1916, Inv. 7210)
Paolo Schiavo, painted and framed relief after model by Donatello Madonna and Child Between Angels, God the Father, Eve and a Crowned Prophet tabernacle, relief stucco (relief) in wooden framing, painted and gilded 12.1 × 9.5 (relief)
36.5 × 20.2 × 5.2		 1435 c. 1435 London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. A.45-1926)
perhaps Donatello workshop Spiritello with Fish statuette, probably from a font at a wall bronze 40.5 × 40.4 × 11, 7 kg 1435–1440 London, Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. 475-1864)
after Donatello Madonna and Child
(Pugliese Dudley Madonna)		 relief, low stucco, painted 31.5 × 21 1440 c. 1440 (prototype) Berlin, Bode Museum (Inv. 2627)
Desiderio da Settignano, alt. Donatello attributed Bust of Niccolò da Uzzano portrait bust terracotta, painted 46 h 1440–1455 Florence, Bargello
perhaps Donatello workshop Madonna and Child
(Madonna dei Cordai)		 relief stucco, leather, glass and wax on wood, painted, gilded and silvered 93 × 78 1440–1460 Florence, Museo Bardini
after Donatello Madonna and Child relief, low stucco, painted 99 × 66.6 × 11.5 1450 c. 1450 (prototype) Berlin, Bode Museum (Inv. 2634)
Donatello workshop Madonna and Child (copy of Pazzi Madonna) relief in tabernacle terracotta, painted and gilded 70 × 55 × 2 (relief only) 1450 c. 1450 Paris, Louvre (Inv. RF 744)
Donatello attributed Playing Cherubs
(Spiritelli)		 relief bronze 4.8 × 8.4 × 0.5 1450s (mid-15th century) Detroit, Institute of Arts (Inv. F70.32)
Donatello attributed Coat of arms of the Martelli Family relief sandstone (macigno), primer, painted 109.2 1450s (mid-15th century) Detroit Institute of Arts (1925, Inv. 25.156)
Donatello attributed or the model executed under his direction by the workshop of Desiderio and Geri da Settignano[29] Coat of arms of the Martelli family relief sandstone (pietra serena), partly painted and gilded 1455 c. 1455 Florence, Bargello (Inv. 532 S)
after Donatello Crucifixion relief, low stucco on poplar with remnants of gilding 36.5 × 26.5 × 7.5 1455–1470 Berlin, Bode Museum (Inv. 53)
Desiderio da Settignano[30] Coat of arms of the Boni family relief sandstone (pietra serena) 215.9 × 74.3 1456–1458 c. 1456–1458 Detroit, Institute of Arts (Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edsel B. Ford, Inv. 41.124)
Cast after a lost model attributed to Donatello David with the Severed Head of Goliath;
probably a bozzetto		 statuette bronze (after a wax model) 36.8 × 10.3 × 10 1460–1465 Berlin, Bode Museum (Inv. 2262)
Donatello attributed Madonna and Child with Five Angels;
probably a bozzetto		 relief terracotta, originally painted 21.5 × 15.5 × 4.2 1465 c. 1465 Berlin, Bode Museum (Inv. M 88)

Notes

  1. ^ The first bronze portal for the Baptistery was created by Andrea Pisano between 1330 and 1336, based on the model of the bronze doors by Bonanno Pisano from around 1180 at Pisa Cathedral, of which only the Porta San Ranieri has survived. For its implementation, bronze casters had to be appointed from Venice, one of the last places where the late Antique–Byzantine tradition dominated and the associated knowledge was still cultivated. In addition, Florence was in good economic shape at the beginning of the 14th century, but this was no longer the case for the next few decades due to plagues and wars. [2]
  2. ^ Ghiberti's two sets of doors were created from 1403 and 1424 and from 1425 to 1452, respectively. The Saint John the Baptist of 1412–1416 for the Arte di Calimala (wool merchants) was the first bronze statue of this size since antiquity. This was followed by the Saint Matthew (1419–1423) and Saint Stephen (1425–1428) for the (equally influential) guilds of money changers (Cambio) and linen weavers (Lana). [3]

References

  1. ^ See References. The traveling exhibition was a rare and as of 2023 the most recent major monographic exhibition on Donatello's work.
  2. ^ Antonio Paolucci (1997). Die Bronzetüren des Baptisteriums in Florenz. Munich: Hirmer. pp. 8ff. ISBN 3-7774-7370 -7.
  3. ^ Krautheimer, Richard; Krautheimer-Hess, Trude (1958). "VI–VIII". Lorenzo Ghiberti. Princeton Monographs in Art and Archeology. Vol. 31 (1st Pb . In 1982 the 2nd ed.). Princeton: Princeton University Press. pp. 71ff.
  4. ^ Janson, pp. 3–7. Pope-Hennessy (1993) changed his mind when he thought he could identify the 1408 statue with another in the cathedral museum. Pope-Hennessy 1996, p. 348.
  5. ^ Online catalogue of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (SMB). They are part of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz.
  6. ^ Their online presentation, for example the Uffizi, initially admired, is unfortunately no longer exemplary.
  7. ^ See Caglioti 2022, pp. 118–119 with photographs of both objects.
  8. ^ Commission from December 19, 1408, for three evangelist figures to Niccolò Lamberti, Nanni di Banco and Donatello (plus one awarded to one of the three, then Bernardo Ciuffagni in 1410), on July 17, 1410, the chapels in the cathedral, which serve as workshops, locked, for which Donatello was paid a key in 1415. He received three payments for the statue until a reminder on April 16, 1415, to complete the figure by the end of May. Two more payments were made on May 10 and June 3. The installed statue was approved on October 8, 1415, and valued at 160 florins, of which 60 florins were still outstanding. Janson, p. 12f.
  9. ^ The commission by the Arte to Donatello dates from April 3, 1411. The statue, including gilding and other jewelry, should be finished and installed on November 1 of the following year. On April 24, two stonemasons were commissioned to work on the niche. On April 29, 1413, the sculpture was approved. Janson, p. 17.
  10. ^ Caglioti 2022, p. 42.
  11. ^ On the east side of the Campanile stand today copies (from left to right) the Beardless Prophet, the so-called Pathetic Prophet by Giuliano da Poggibonsi, Abraham and Isaac, and the Profeta pensieroso.
  12. ^ According to Caglioti Donatello reworked the head, youthful and with thick hair, Nanni did the rest already outlined by Ciuffagni. Afterwards the figure was never called Joshua again. The Baptist holds a scroll in his hands, but doesn't wear his signature pelt. Caglioti, p. 41.
  13. ^ On the west side of the Campanile today are standing copies of the following statues, from left to right: This Saint John, the Zuccone, the Jeremiah and the Obadia by Nanni di Bartolo.
  14. ^ Payment for both busts on May 13, 1422, Janson, S. 43.
  15. ^ In his catasto of 1427, Donatello lists 15 florins that he owes to Giovanni di Jacopo degli Strozza for the "repeated bronze casting of the figure of St. Rossore and other things". The bust is not mentioned in Michelozzo's contemporaneous 'tax return', which excludes his involvement, Janson 1957, p. 56f. Also Anita Moskowitz, Donatello's Reliquary Bust of Saint Rossore. In: The Art Bulletin, Vol. 63, No. 1 (March 1981), pp. 41–48. Online as pdf on JSTOR
  16. ^ Anita Moskowitz, Donatello's Reliquary Bust of Saint Rossore. In: The Art Bulletin, Vol. 63, No. 1 (March 1981), p. 41–48. Online als pdf on JSTOR.
  17. ^ The head of Saint Rossore was discovered as a relic in 1422 and brought by the Umiliati from Pisa to Florence. They gave Donatello the commission for the bust. Already in the middle of the 16th century they had to give Ognissanti away to the Franciscans, and moved to Santa Caterina degli Abbandonati. In 1570 the order was banned and its property confiscated and sold. Janson 1957, p. 56.
  18. ^ On February 10, 1423, the Soprastanti alla Fabbrica of the cathedral in Orvieto awarded a commission for a figure of the Baptist in gilded copper to Donatello, who received the wax for it on April 29. No further documents. In 1461 a stucco figure was installed on the baptismal font, which, according to Janson, rules out the possibility that Donatello had supplied the figure (he was either too busy and gave up the job or the casting went wrong and was not tried again). Janson, p. 246f. A document from 1487 discovered in the mid-1980s in the palazzo of the Martelli, which the Strozzi later acquired, mentions a bronze figure of the Baptist by Donatello. At a 2015 exhibition in the Pushkin Museum, an analysis during the previous restoration revealed a "very high" copper content, a "peculiar" casting technique and tenoning (possibly similar to that of the Louis of Toulouse). Caglioti identifies him with the Baptist for Orvieto, which later came into the possession of the Martelli. The attribution to Donatello is "absolutely undeniable". V. Rastorguev in Rowley 2022, cat. 51, p. 234. Caglioti 2022, p. 43. Documents quoted from Lightbown 1980, p. 322.
  19. ^ Pope-Hennessy 1996, p. 350.
  20. ^ Filippo Napoletano (attr.), Piazza del Mercato Vecchio in Florence c. 1600–1630, still with the Dovizia by Donatello.
  21. ^ executed by Domenico di Pietro da Pisa and Angelo di Lippo di Paolo, Caglioti 2022, p. 58 (Ill. 31, p. 55).
  22. ^ Only the Spiritello at the top looking down may be supposedly by Donatello. Rowley in Caglioti 2022, p. 214; furthermore his text on the pulpit, pp. 210–13.
  23. ^ The old sacristy was built according to plans by Brunelleschi from 1422 (as later was the entire church of San Lorenzo). Donatello's share of the decorative equipment is huge and represents his largest coherent work. Even the sarcophagus decoration of the central tomb for Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici and his wife Piccarda Bueri, as part of the overall concept, clearly by Brunelleschi and others, and executed by Brunelleschi's adoptive son Buggiano (actually Andrea de Lazzaro Cavalcanti), bears Donatello's signature and was at least also worked on by sculptors of his workshop. The decoration of the sacristy was worked from top to bottom, first the twisted fabric wound with a gold ribbon that decorates the supports of both domes, then the large tondi with the four Evangelists and the four scenes from the life of John the Evangelist, and the frieze of the architrave with spiritelli in small tondi (in alternating red and grey). Later came the lunette reliefs with Saints Stephen and Lawrence, as well as Cosmas and Damian above the antique door gables, and finally the bronze doors with their reliefs (although they could have been worked on earlier). According to Brunelleschi's biographer Antonio Manetti, the friends broke up over the door frames, which were not discussed with Brunelleschi. Donatello also begun the work on a washbasin (lavabo) for the left back room completed by Verrocchio. Caglioti 2022, pp. 68–72, 232–239.
  24. ^ For a list of missing details and history of the various reconstruction designs with illustrations, see Janson 1957 II, p. 162ff and I, plates 257–318.
  25. ^ In the online catalogue of the National Gallery this sculpture is consciously described as "Florentine, 15th Century". In the catalogue of the 2022/23 touring exhibition Aldo Galli identifies it as by Donatello and the earliest example of this sculptural type of Madonna and Child, which subsequently replaced corresponding panel paintings. In Caglioti, p. 120.
  26. ^ The Wallace Collection in London has a version of the exact same size with an alloy of bronze, copper and lead (Inv. S297).
  27. ^ Probably the earliest copy after a plaquette by Donatello, of which several were obtained by Wilhelm Bode for the Berlin collections, a. o. a larger version in terracotta (Inv. 56). Further copies can be found in other museums such as the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris Inv. MJAP-OA 2085 made of chased and gilded copper. Discussion and bibliography on this model see entry in the Berlin online catalogue.
  28. ^ Entry in the Wallace Collection's online catalogue. The collection contains another, very similar piece, but without the conch (Inv. S300); there is also a smaller plaquette (Inv. S301), which is believed to have originated in Padua and is dated around 1450.
  29. ^ Donatello and Desiderio had occasionally worked together, especially for the Martelli. This escutcheon was probably commissioned by Roberto Martelli for their new palazzo. Beatrice Paolozzi Strozzi, in Desiderio 2007, p. 69
  30. ^ Perhaps as pupil of Donatello, or "Desiderio and Geri da Settignano after a model by Donatello?" according to Giancarlo Gentilini, in Desiderio 2007, p. 29.

Bibliography

  • Horst W. Janson (1957). The Sculpture of Donatello (2 Vol.). Princeton: Princeton University Press.. Archive URL of the 1963 edition in one volume with fewer images.
  • John Pope-Hennessy (1996) [1958]. An Introduction to Italian Sculpture, Vol. 2: Italian Renaissance Sculpture (4., revised ed.). London: Phaidon.
  • Francesco Caglioti with Laura Cavazzini, Aldo Galli and Neville Rowley (2022). Donatello. The Renaissance. Venice: Marsilio Arte. ISBN 979-12-5463-006-8.
  • Neville Rowley with Francesco Caglioti, Laura Cavazzini and Aldo Galli (2022). Donatello. Erfinder der Renaissance. Leipzig: E. A. Seemann. ISBN 978-3-86502-482-4.

Further reading

  • Avery, Charles, Donatello. Catalogo completo delle opere, Firenze 1991.
  • Wilson, Carolyn C., Renaissance Small Bronze Sculpture and Associated Decorative Arts, 1983, National Gallery of Art (Washington), ISBN 0894680676
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