Donatello

Donatello was born in Florence, Italy in 1386. Donatello's real name was Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi. Donato adopted Donatello as a name mainly because his relations called him that. Donatello was the son of a wool comber and at the age of seventeen he became the assistant to sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti. Lorenzo helped him construct and decorate the famous bronze doors at the baptistery of San Giovanni, Florence. After that he studied the monument …

…five years to construct and was the first nude renaissance statue. In his third and final period of his career Donatello broke away from his classical influences. Great examples of his work in this period are Miracle of St. Anthony (Sant' Antonio, Padua), Gattamelata (in the square before Sant' Antonio), and Judith and Holofernes (Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence). Donatello influenced many artists including Michelangelo. Donatello died on December 13, 1466 at the age of 88. Bibliography Encarta Encyclopedia 2000